For Nakama
by Zinfer
Summary: Luffy saved his nakama, but at a heavy price. Now the captainless crew must find a way to get him back while he finds himself being used as a test subject to create a seastone gas.
1. The Day Before

FOR NAKAMA

_"You know its funny how people all want freedom. How they don't want to be held down by anyone or anything… but they don't realize how heavy that burden is when you have no one to truly share life with. Your own soul can be the heaviest thing you possess. I had freedom from everyone, but it wasn't until I became a part of this crew, this family, that I had peace. To give up everything for my captain would top a life of freedom every time."_

The Day Before-

Huge splashes soaked the Merry Go from the bombardment of cannon-fire scattered across the crystal water of the Grand Line. On the deck, the crew could be seen running to and fro to keep the ship sailing and protected from the aggressing marine fleet behind them.

"Luffy!" Nami called "cannon ball, six-o'clock!"

"Wait, is that your six o'clock or my six o'clock?" he shouted back, his eyes darting around to spot the projectile.

"Your-" her reply was interrupted by the crack of metal skidding across the wooden deck as the cannon ball glanced off of the railing, plopping into the water on the other side.

"Dang it Luffy! Just keep doing what you're doing!"

"Alright!" he shouted back, jumping to block another shot.

"Chopper! Robin! Keep up that rowing! We need all the headway we can get!" Nami shouted over to the other two crewmates.

"Sanji-"

"Yes Nami-swaaann!"

The navigator turned to see the cook in a swivel of joy.

"Err, go below deck and patch up any leaks that you find."

"As you wish my loveee!" he proclaimed as he rushed off the deck.

- 2 hours later -

Combining the Merry Go's compact size and it's navigators skill led to the pirates successful escape; finally making enough distance that they could no longer see the pursuing ships.

The crew collapsed on the deck, exhausted from the full day of rowing and mending the ship. Chopper rushed over to patch up Usopp's side, which had a large splinter of wood lodged into it. Aside from the marksman's injury, the group had fared well considering the circumstances.

"WooHoo!" yelled Luffy as he hopped onto the ram's head "no ship can match the Merry Go! We showed them didn't we?"

"We sure did captain" Sanji said as he climbed out from below deck "but we wouldn't have had to if you hadn't gone waltzing right by a commanding officer of the marines back there."

Luffy made a pouty face, "I'm not gonna go sneaking around like a fugitive."

"Luffy, we're all fugitives here."

"Yeah… but I'm gonna be king of the pirates, and the pirate king does not "sneak" anywhere."

"… I guess you're right" Sanji sighed, plopping down next to Nami who scooted over a few inches, "just try to use some discretion next time, for our sake."

Luffy just laughed and rolled onto his stomach, facing the open sea ahead of them.

"I think we should have just taken them out when they discovered us rather than tucking our tails between our legs and running" Zoro spoke up from what looked like a nap.

"Are you kidding?" Nami exclaimed "you're talking about one of the largest marine fleets in the grand line! You're too sure of yourself."

Zoro shrugged and then began to snore silently.

It was late in the day and soon the crew members had gone to their own non-active devices. Zoro took catnaps around the boat, occasionally waking to do some pushups or lift some weights. Usopp, once he had been bandaged up thoroughly by the little reindeer, went about trying to fix up the damages done to their small ship. Sanji had gone to fix supper for the crew, Robin made her way to the crows-nest and Chopper had turned in to sleep a bit.

Nami made her way into the study where her maps were laid across the table, along with a feather quill and a sealed container of ink. A few books had fallen out from the shelves so the navigator went about to put them up, then turned to her charts.

The sun was beginning to set, casting a warm yellow light into the room. She sighed as she began to draw on the map she had already begun working on, marking their progress of the day. She would never have dreamed that she would be able to follow all of those dreams she had had back when she served under Arlong. It was foolish to think that one could roam the seas with no obligation and she wouldn't have thought it possible a few months ago.

"That is… until Luffy got involved…" she voiced her thoughts.

"Until I got involved with what?" Luffy said from the doorway, causing the navigator to jump back in surprise. She grabbed a book and flung it at him, which he caught before any damage could be done.

"Dang it Luffy! You can't just pop in and listen in on someone's conversation with themselves! It's very inconsiderate."

"Nami" Luffy continued, ignoring his crewmates protest "are we going to be arriving at an island soon? We might be having a shortage of food soon." The captain looked to the side with an expression resembling a kid trying to hide something.

"Luffy, you can't go eating the last of our food supply. We can't know what's going to happen out here so we have to be cautious… but yes, there is an island coming up."

"YAY! An island! Is it cool?"

"Well" Nami said, looking down at the papers on her desk "climate wise it looks pretty average…" she looked up, seeing a disappointed look cross her captains face. "B-but the elevation charts look very peculiar" she continued, pointing at another set of maps "it looks like it has some kind of swollen mountain on it, possibly volcanic."

She smiled seeing Luffy's expression lighten up.

"Sounds awesome!" Luffy exclaimed "thanks Nami."

With that, he dashed out the door, leaving the ginger-haired girl alone, once again, in the chart room. She sighed and turned back to her papers, the room silent aside from the churning waves echoing in from the outside.

The crew got together after the sun had set and ate an impressive amount of food for supper. Sanji had been working most of the evening to provide enough to satisfy the group that he knew would be famished after the long day of running from the marines. It was crowded and loud inside of the small room as each crew member grabbed for their own scrap of food. Getting a satisfactory portion of the meal had become a battle due to the captain's advantage over the others with his stretching limbs. Once the food had been divvied out, the conversation went on to the adventures of the day and preparation for the next as they came upon a new island.

The ocean and sky were dark and clear, causing the small pirate ship to look very alone in the vast expanse of black water; the light from the small dining room the only hint of life for miles and the voices from inside sounded alien in contrast to the waves sloshing lazily against the Merry Go's hull.

Soon the crew had turned in and the ocean was dark and silent once again.

- Robin POV-

Robin had returned to the crows-nest, enjoying the view once her eyes had adjusted to the darkness. Hearing a sound below, she peeked down to see her captain sneaking across the deck towards the kitchen. He must have forgotten that there was always someone on-watch, even at night, but she let him continue to believe he had evaded detection; smiling as she waited to see what would follow.

A few minutes went by, then the sound of chaos was heard below. The light came on from the kitchen and the historian watched in amusement as Luffy was kicked out, followed by an aggravated Sanji yelling something about "conserving food" and "not knowing what could happen on the sea." Luffy then responded with his usual whine about being hungry and something about an island coming up.

Robin continued to watch as Zoro came storming out of the sleeping quarters, interrupting the argument, his yell loud enough for her to hear clearly.

"Dang it Sanji, if you're going to kill Luffy for raiding the food, do it quietly!"

The historian leaned back in the crows-nest, listening as the chefs angry words were directed from the captain to the swordsman. After a few more minutes of bickering the group managed to calm itself and she assumed by the absence of voices that they had adjourned back to their beds. However, looking down at the deck, she saw that Luffy was still there, his elbows leaned onto the railing, looking down at the dark water. She wondered what her captain was thinking.

The historian looked out to sea and smiled at what she saw. She made a mouth appear beside Luffy and spoke so he could hear her.

"Captain, I hope you don't lose too much sleep tonight-"

"OI! What the heck!" the boy exclaimed, jumping at the voice.

Robin chuckled, "its Robin. I'm up in the crows-nest and I just sent a mouth down so I wouldn't disturb the others… but I suppose it doesn't matter now."

Luffy blinked and turned to look up at her, "wow… you could really play some mean pranks on someone if you really wanted to" he spoke back, assuming she had sent an ear down so she could hear him.

"Luffy, you might want to take a look at the horizon from the other side of the ship. I think you'll like what you see."

The captain cocked his head but ran over to the other railing. Squinting to see in through the early morning darkness, he spotted what his historian was talking about and his eyes widened with excitement.

TBC…

Yes, this is a re-write of this chapter. I wrote the first chapter of this fic in 2006 and I do believe that my writing style has developed a bit since then so I wanted to clean it up a bit…

So if the next few chapters seem like a step down, hopefully the writing will get better as the story progresses XD

Thanks to all of you who have given such wonderful reviews! Nothing makes me want to keep writing like a kind review! It makes my day ^_^

Do enjoy the rest of the story


	2. Smell

Smell

Though it was still dark out, Luffy managed to make an analysis of the islands form. It was a small island but its terrain was awkwardly stretching to the sky. Like it had been grabbed in its center and dragged upward, leaving an odd resemblance to a pear. However, the base of it was shaped like a half-moon, giving it a more welcoming appearance. Luffy couldn't make out the details, but the moonlight revealed all that was needed to throw him into a fit of glee.

"ROBIN, LOOK, IT LOOKS LIKE A PEAR! I'LL GO GET THE OTHERS!" he shouted excitedly.

"HEY GU…" he was cut off by a hand covering his mouth.

"Luffy, they need their sleep. Let's wait until we get a bit closer. For now, just get some rest. I'll wake you when the sun begins to rise" Robin assured.

Luffy's face showed some disappointment, then he grinned with contentment.

"Ok Robin" he replied, then he slipped silently back to the sleeping quarters. Though it was difficult for him to fall asleep that night, but this would be his last rest for a long time.

Zoro awoke to shouting on deck and growled. "Guess sleeps over then" he mumbled to no one in particular, then dragged himself out of bed. After getting changed, and cleaned best he could, he made his way to the kitchen, which had not been cleaned since the night before. Luffy was running about with excitement and pointing at the mountainous island as if the others couldn't see it. Ussop, Chopper, and Luffy were all playing a game between tag, and hide and go seek. Luffy had made his way up one of the sails and had wrapped himself around one of the masts.

"Common Luffy, that's not fair!" Ussop shouted as he attempted to chase the little reindeer around the ship. His wound, he claimed, was the only reason he had failed to catch them, and that, had be been in full health, they would have been out hours ago (they had been playing for quite some time). Chopper, who usually would have been struck in terror, went easy on the sharpshooter, fearing that he might re-open his wound.

Luffy laughed, then spotted Zoro below. He then uncoiled himself from the mast and dropped.

"GOODMORNING ZORO!" He shouted, then crash-landed onto Zoro's shoulders.

"AGG, LUFFY, GET OFF!" Zoro shouted. It was too early for this. He was actually seeing the sunrise, which meant he should still be in bed.

The young teen plopped down beside him and grinned "DID YOU SEE IT?"

"Huh?" Zoro turned to see the island and was surprised he hadn't seen it earlier. Yet, something about it gave him a feeling of dread. As if he had been there before, or had heard of it. Something about that mountain gave him the chills.

Zoro shrugged it off

"Of course I saw it Luffy. What do you think I am, blind?"

"TAG! YOURE IT LUFFY!" Ussop shouted with glee as he punched Luffy on his shoulder. The captain was taken off guard and bounced backwards.

"HEY, NO FAIR, I WAS DISTRACTED!" Luffy shouted back, then seemed to not even care what he had just said and dashed at Chopper who he had spotted sneaking into the Kitchen.

The crew hovered over Nami who tried her best to show each of them their positions on the map she had bought at the previous island. It showed the odd island from above and the village was on the other side which they had come from. Nami had already adjusted the sails and they would be heading in later that day.

"YAY" Luffy shouted out "So we're gonna' be docking soon?"

"Yes Luffy, in about half an hour the village will come into view" she replied.

"Good" Sanji stated "we can finally restock. I will need to do some major grocery shopping, and get some locks for the Merry Go."

"I hope they have some good maps of the next island that I can record and correct when we arrive" Nami stated

"I need to get some dynamite, I've been running low on it, and I need to have some for my experiments" Ussop added. At this Chopper pitched in.

"Ussop, you are in no condition to be shopping. You need to stay on the ship and rest!" he firmly stated, and no one would go against the doctors orders.

Ussop crossed his arm and frowned but didn't protest

"Can someone fetch some for me then? I would really appreciate it."

"I'll do it!" Luffy shouted out with a smile.

"No Luffy," Nami stated firmly "last time we let you shop at a port you walked in front of a marine without hesitation. The last thing we need is to get caught up in some battle. So YOU will be staying near the boat, not running around town"

Luffy surprisingly didn't argue. He just smiled

"Kay Nami"

"I'll fetch the dynamite for you Mr.Ussop" Robin volunteered "and I'd like to do some research on this island. I feel like I've heard about it somewhere."

"I'll go with you Robin!" Sanji practically sang to his beautiful crewmate.

Zoro shrugged "I really don't have a reason to go, but I kinda' want to check out the village. Does anyone want me to get anything?"

"Actually Zoro" Chopper pitched in "I don't feel to good, could you get this list of things for me?" The little reindeer handed him a rather long list of medical supplies. "You don't have to get all of them but I would appreciate it if you looked for me.

"You don't feel good?" Nami asked.

"Come to think of it, I feel a little weird myself" Luffy commented "but I don't feel too different, just… weird."

Robin put her hand on her head "I don't feel bad, just a bit odd."

Zoro cocked his eyebrow "…odd"

"DON'T WORRY ROBIN SWAN! IF ANYTHING HAPPENS I WILL BE THERE TO KEEP YOU SAFE!" Sanji actually sang this time. Robin looked over at him then looked back at Chopper worried.

"I wonder why Mr. Chopper is feeling worse than the rest of us?" Robin questioned aloud.

"That's something to discuss another time. We need to rush in and then rush out of here. Before we know it those marines will be on our tail again" Nami cut off the discussion. "Zoro, Robin, me and …Sanji, will be heading into town once I find a place to hide the Merry Go. Sound good?" The others nodded. "Good" she finished.

"I've studied the maps and I think I've found the perfect hiding place…"

Chopper hated not knowing what a sickness was. He wouldn't let this go without investigation, so he went immediately to his books. What were the symptoms and was there a cure?

After the Merry Go had been hidden, the four teens set off for the town Nami said was called "Sea City". Robin felt something inside of her jolt at the name. Something in the back of her head was telling her this was a bad idea. But they needed the supplies. She wouldn't risk starvation for a feeling she was having.

Luffy and Ussop waved goodbye to the small group. Once they had left Luffy jumped off the boat onto the hard ground below. "Man, I'm surprised that Nami fit the Merry Go through here! No one would ever suspect us here!" he shouted, then started running around in the small cave. "YEA, BUT SHE HAD TO CUT THE MAST IN HALF TO FIT IT IN HERE!" Ussop shouted. Luffy just laughed then started exploring in the cave. Ussop was glad for this, because Nami had known that Luffy would want to explore, so she found a place where Luffy couldn't get into trouble, but still be amused. The cave went on for about half a mile, and then wound up at a large room. The room would be filled with stalagmites and stalactites; he would enjoy himself in there, then come back and tell the rest of them what he had found. "Ok, see ya' Luffy" Ussop spoke back grinning, then looked around to see where Chopper had run off to. "Maybe he needs some assistance…" Ussop asked himself sensing the feelings of boredom creep over him.

Zoro's head popped out from behind a bolder then he was yanked back down by his ear.

"ARG, Nami, its not like anyone's lookin' over here anyways. Psh! Zoro grumbled.

"Hey Marimo, you're neon hair so bright anyone could see it from a mile away" Sanji defended.

"LOOK DARTBROWS, WE'RE GONNA BE WALKIN THROUGH THE DANG CITY ANYHOWS, SO WHATS THE POINT OF HIDING?" Zoro shouted back, resulting on a smack on the head from Nami.

"SHUT UP, both of you! The reason we're hiding is because there might be some patrols up, and we don't want to get caught."

"To late" Robin said cheerfully as they all looked up to see a man hovering over them. Sanji kicked Zoro "stupid". Zoro scowled.

"May I help you?" the man asked.

Nami blinked, then grinned "why, hello…um, actually, if you will, could you direct us towards a pharmacy around here?" covering up her surprise. She was somewhat shocked that the man hadn't recognized Zoro.

"Well, you can just follow me and I'll take you there" the man replied then motioned toward the town. The others looked at each other, shrugged, then followed the man. Zoro gave an odd look, he wasn't a trusting type.

Once they arrived at the town Sanji noticed many peculiar things. There were no elderly men or women in the city. No children either. The city contained mostly young men and a few women. He looked over to see Zoro scowling at everyone they passed. Apparently he had the same suspicion as Sanji. It was odd that the two agreed on something but they did.

_This can't be good_ he thought to himself.

Robin and Nami made no appearance of suspicion, but they were all getting a feeling of dread.

_**"What do you mean Luffys not with them!... Well, it makes since that they wouldn't want him seen in public for a while; we can work with this. Carry on as planned."**_

Ussop found Chopper resting in bed digging into his research. He had books spread all across the mattress and had written out a couple pages of notes.

"How's it going Chopper?" Ussop questioned

"I'm worried" the reindeer bluntly responded "only the devil fruit users are affected by this atmosphere. This means that it has to do with sea stone, but we definitely weren't touching any at the time of weakness, but you would have to be touching a sea stone to be effected by it… unless" Chopper hesitated.

"But Chopper, you had a much stronger reaction to it than the others. I wonder why that would be." Ussop wondered aloud.

"Perhaps it's my sense of smell…" Chopper stated.

Ussop thought for a moment then added "But you can't smell sea stone can you?"

"Not in a solidified state, and though I've never heard of someone experimenting further with the metal, it is possible to work with. Perhaps somewhere on this island people are experimenting with it, and since my sense of smell is stronger than the others, I was hit harder" Chopper took a breath, finished writing some notes, then looked back up at Ussop. "I'm worried about the others" he whimpered. Ussop sat down beside the small animal and started rubbing his back "don't worry Chopper, Zoro's with them, along with Sanji and Nami. It would be pretty hard to take them down and I have faith that whatever happens, they'll see themselves through." Chopper sniffed back his tears and gave Ussop a confident smile. "Of course!" he declared crossing his arms.

To be continued…

_Thanks to you who commented. I know it's taking a while to get interesting, but the next chapter should be. I will probably add to what time this is taking place in the series eventually. Good day…_


	3. Beginning of a War

Beginning of a War

Zoro scuffed his shoes across the dusty ground. A storm was coming, now he was glad they were on land. The sky was filled with dark clouds and the wind had picked up quite a bit.

Zoro liked the weather; it reflected his mood. Just being in the town was getting him displeased. He brought his hand casually to his katana, just in case anything "unexpected" happened.

They arrived at a small building at the other end of town. It was small, and looked empty. In fact, the only person inside was the clerk, but they did have some maps and some medicine, so the crewmates made their way inside. Zoro hesitated "actually, I think I'll head back outside. Here Robin, you can get Choppers things… I don't know what they are anyway." With that, he turned and walked out of the cramped pharmacy.

The others watched him leave, shrugged, then went to search for their supplies. Robin walked over to the medicines, but not without keeping an eye on the room. Everything was going way too smoothly. She looked over at the clerk who smiled kindly. Something was wrong, something someone could only sense. She looked outside to see the street was suspiciously vacant. She didn't like this one bit.

Sanji also was taking a peek outside. He also had noticed its emptiness. He was tense and he could sense it. He turned to look for Robin to make sure she was ok.

Nami was digging through the maps. Glancing up every once and a while to make sure no one had left her there. She was spooked enough as it was. The last thing she needed was for them to leave her with that disturbing clerk who smiled too much.

She shuttered.

Then it happened. What they had all been waiting for.

"ROBIN!" Sanji shouted out when he finally spotted a man on the roof of the building across from them. The man had an odd gun in his hand and it was aimed at Robin.

Sanji dashed toward the archeologist with amazing speed. Skidding through the isle, he grabbed her and shoved her to the ground. He would never have been so rough with her had it been any other situation. The glass shattered as the shot was fired.

Robin saw Sanji wince but didn't have time to ponder it. They crashed on to the floor and were up again in seconds, knowing now that everyone on this island knew exactly who they were.

Sanji grabbed Robin's wrist and dragged her behind a shelf of cans, then began sweeping the building for Nami, who apparently had found her own escape route.

"Robin, could you please take out that man up there. He's right up on that building's roof" Sanji whispered to Robin still keeping his eye out for other marksmen. Robin nodded and crossed her arms in front of her. Sanji smiled as he heard a crack and a scream. Someone shouted "they've got a devil fruit user! We need reinforcements, and some special guns!"

Sanji blinked in confusion; everything was getting hazy, but he promised he would keep Robin safe. This was no time to be nodding off.

"We should go before they get those reinforcements" he calmly spoke.

Robin nodded, and in a flash they slid away from their hiding place. Sanji kicked a can at one of the men, hitting him accurately in the head, knocking him out. Robin on the other hand, after taking out eight of the mass of their attackers, sprouted a great quantity of arms from her left hand grabbing on the roof.

"Mr. Sanji! Grab on!" she yelled in his direction.

"Aye Robin-Swan!" he shouted back though his steps were beginning to waver as he made his way towards his crewmate.

Once he had grabbed her right arm they were lifted into the air and swung across the narrow road. They crashed roughly to the other side of the mob of men that they now considered marines.

"Robin, we have to take these guys out and find Nami, could you handle that?' Sanji asked. There was no response. He looked over to see Robin still lying within the dust they had formed. There were 4 darts in her arm and she was knocked out cold. Sanji immediately reacted by rolling out of the range of the darts meant for him. He then grabbed Robin and made his way down the city. Had the men been directly behind him, even with his extra weight, he would have managed to out run them with his astonishingly powerful legs; but they weren't directly behind him, they were coming from all directions and Sanji could hardly stay conscious. He dodged a man to his right then leapt over a man to his left. The cook pulled off some sharp karate kicks before he stumbled. They were on top of his in seconds; overwhelming him in every direction. There was a silence then they were blasted away with overwhelming power of an unexpected roundabout kick. Sanji grabbed Robin again and stumbled away as fast as he could. He turned a corner to run into a dead end. The cook swore to himself then turned back to see a vast number of men facing him.

Sanji tenderly set Robin down behind him. He promised her he would keep her safe, he would not loose this battle.

The closest eight men charged him at once, and in return he calmly kicked away the first four, evading the attacks of the others. Though Sanji fought masterfully, a few marines managed to land their punches. He felt the bite of tranquilizer darts hitting his back from above him and he knew it wouldn't be possible to keep this up. He could hardly stay conscious any longer when it ended. His mind could no longer keep this up and he thought his last thoughts, _I hope Nami's ok…_

Nami had hidden herself in a barrel and was sneaking her way out of the city. She would have to tell the others if she planned to rescue anyone. _Like I could help anyone on my own_ she thought to herself. She got to the edge of the city seeing that she would have to cross a plane of boulders and rough terrain. _Curses, I'm on the wrong end of the city (what kind of navigator am I?)._ She looked up across the uneven earth to see a prison formed into the rocks. There were metal bars over small windows. She could not see a door or entrance, but in her mind she figured there was a secret entrance within the cliff. After illuminating this though she returned her focus upon her situation.

The navigator returned the lid to its resting spot and guessed the rest of her direction. _Psh, no wonder I can't find a way out of here. I can't see where the heck I am_ she thought to herself. This was very stressing for Nami; not only could she not see where she was going, but she couldn't see if there were any guards about either. If she lifted the lid up, someone might see, but if she didn't, she might just run into one. Nami in return, relied on her hearing as best she could. She stopped, listened, and moved on, continuously until she felt it safe to peer through the top. "Ah, good" she thought to herself. There was that bolder they had been hiding behind earlier, but there was a large field separating her from her goal. _What's with this place? Is there no concealed way out of here?_ she thought to herself.

Nami looked all around her before taking another step with the barrel (she had broken the bottom out to make it easier to maneuver). She decided it best to make a break for it once she got halfway. A barrel in the middle of a field would be quite suspicious but this was her only chance. She had to get back to the others.

Nami made her way along the jade grass. It was long and neglected of any attending to. The ginger haired girl removed her shoes so she could make a fast getaway. Then she heard them; the sound of running feet, and yelling. Now was the time to make a break for it. She leapt from her cover and ran for the trees. She looked back to see eight men on her heels. Sadly, that one glance caused her to overlook a hole in the ground, masked by the elongated grass. She felt her ankle twist dangerously under her as she buckled over. She collided painfully to the ground, immediately turning to face her opponents, since apparently she wouldn't be outrunning them anytime soon. She drew her clima tact, breaking it into three sections, but there was undeniably no time to conjure up a storm large enough to take them all out. Nami was surprised that she managed to take down three of the men, but it was no use. She wouldn't crawl away like a coward. She would face the fate that was before her as if she had planned it like this to begin with.

The men we're rough with her, and she wound up with some pretty bad bruises, but the navigator didn't waver from her commanding spirit. Once they had tied her up and led her to the prison she had seen earlier she boldly stated "when my captain finds out what you did to us… you'll be lucky if you're dead! Cause he's gonna' come here and kick your butts!"

Thus left Zoro, he had made his way to the outskirts of the city. He had spotted the men heading into their homes once they had arrived. Hardly anyone kept their eyes off of the crew. He knew a battle would be at hand, being a fighter he was skilled at sensing these things.He decided that if they were to challenge him to a duel, he would be the one choosing the locale.

Then they came, just as he expected, flooding from the city in a mob of colossal size. He smiled. He enjoyed a challenge, so he drew his sword and awaited their arrival.

Once they collided Zoro calmly maneuvered through them, slicing in vital points to hasten the fight. He didn't want to loose too much energy over each man, or he wouldn't be able to handle the rest. _Gotta conserve energy_ Zoro shouted inside his head as he struggled to even out the odds against him. He had handled these situations so many times; this would be no different…

Suddenly, Zoro felt a sting around his neck, momentarily wondering what the cause could have been… then the realization. He was yanked backwards by the throat, slamming to the ground. A whip had caught its victim, but its owner was definitely not done. No one would take chances with this swordsman.

Zoro felt himself being dragged towards his captor.

"_NO_" he attempted to scream aloud, but his throat was sealed shut.

He grabbed his katana to slice the whip, but was pounced upon by hundreds of marines; all getting their share of the battle. Zoro felt a few swords pierce his stomach and hundreds of punches and jabs. Any normal human would have died, but Zoro was to be the world's greatest swordsman. He had been through worse.

Zoro felt his vocal cords tighten under the pressure. _They're suffocating me to death… no… can't die yet…_With that Zoro tore off the men who had piled on to him in his moment of weakness and charged at the wielder of his constraint. Though his actions would appear to be though out, most of them were pure instinct. What was screaming through his head "_can't breath, can't breath_" was all his consciousness could ponder up at the time.

Zoro never missed with his sword unless the person was just to fast, even in his delirious state he managed to land a gash on the mans arm, causing him to release the whip. Zoro went to remove it, but he had strained too much. Blood was gushing from his wounds and he could no longer fight the endless quantity of opponents. He collapsed to the ground, no longer able to battle.

_This isn't over_ he thought to himself as he drifted to unconsciousness as the men kicked and punched at him. Even then, they were cautious at facing the mighty Roronoa Zoro.

"STOP! Do you want to kill him?" A woman's voice rang from behind them.

The men stopped and looked back at their commanding officer.

"Sorry mam, he was quite a handful" one said, immediately saluting.

"That's no excuse! Get him cleaned up and put him with the others!" With that, she turned and made her way to her headquarters.

Zoro was right. It wasn't over...

I know that was a very negative chapter….but who cares! It's my story, so I can do what I want…I have a creative license. Please post reviews. I would like to know if anyone's reading this. Also, if I made any mistakes, or if u have any tips you'd like to add, feel free to do so.


	4. Reunited

Reunited

Robin felt something cool drop on her face. Ah, that was rain wasn't it, knew it was coming. She slowly opened her eyes as her vision cleared a bit. She was lying on her back looking up at a group of marines. Guess they caught us. The black haired woman turned her head to see Sanji lying on his stomach. His shirt had been removed and was covered in blood. Beside him there was a pile of about fifteen large darts that had been removed from his back. She overheard some of the marines talking. "I don't know about this one; I'll be surprised if he makes it. Those marksmen over did it with the sedatives. I think it's a bit sad; they must be a couple or something. I've never seen someone risk so much for a companion. He's a tough one." Robin made a weak smile. A couple… just what Sanji wanted. She would have to thank him for staying with her, this wouldn't kill their cook; he WAS a tough one.

A young marine named Paul assisted in carrying the swordsman to the medical center. He looked down at Zoro in awe. Somehow this man was still alive. He had heard stories of the man's power and talent, but had no idea it would take so much to take him down. They had lost 78 men in the battle alone. It began to rain as the storm finally made its advance towards Sea City. The teen blinked as a drop landed on his face. He almost felt guilty for what had been done. It was an unfair fight. This man didn't deserve to be taken in this way.

The doctors waited for their patient in the emergency room. "Argg! Those darn marines, they go out there and do overkill, then expect us to clean up their messes. And why aren't we working on our own men?"

"Because, whoever Zoro got to was killed…" came the reply "we'll be sending in the swordsman now, still no information on the cook." One rubbed his head as he talked to the blue snail "you mean he's still alive? Wow…"

Zoro was brought in and they began. They removed his shirt to reveal a large scar spreading across his entire chest. Obviously it had happened many months earlier. "This man seems to have too many near death experiences" one stated.

That was the last word they spoke as they focused on healing the swordsman.

It was a successful patch up, so they carted him to his cell, reuniting the small pirate group.

Nami jumped up when she heard the marines coming down the hallway. It was so dark she couldn't see who they were carting towards her cell, but she anticipated the worst. Her cell door was opened and 2 marines carried a body over to one of the beds in the small space. Then another person entered behind them; clearly a prisoner because they were handcuffed.

Only when the marines had left did Nami speak.

"So, I'm not the only one who was caught?" then she waited for a response to discover what crewmembers had joined her.

"Ah, Miss Nami, I'm glad to see your ok" came Robin's voice as she walked over to the bench where Nami was seated.

"Same here; who'd they just cart in here though?" Nami asked

"I believe that would be Mr. Roroano, he seems the worst for wear."

The two women walked over to their wounded friend who seemed to be sleeping quite peacefully at the moment. For that they were grateful.

"Why do you think they patched him up?" Nami questioned.

Robin shrugged then put her hand on Zoro's head. He had a light fever, but knowing Zoro, he would be fine in time. More importantly, who were these people, and what did they want with the mugiwaras?


	5. Where

Where?

Luffy returned to the Merry Go. He had wanted to ask Usopp a favor and to see if the others had gotten back yet. When he arrived at the mouth of the cave he looked outside and blinked in confusion.

"Dark already? How long was I in here?" he asked aloud.

"Too long, do you have any idea what time it is?" came Usopp's frustrated voice from the Merry Go.

Luffy rubbed his head "well, how could I tell? Its pitch black in there."

Luffy swung himself up from the railing and plopped in front of the marksman. "So, have the others come back yet?" he asked. Usopp shook his head "No. This shouldn't have taken them so long. It's been 9 hours." Usopp looked at the ground and rubbed his head. Luffy put his hands on his sides "I don't know why they're not back yet, but we shouldn't worry too much. They can take care of themselves, but if it takes much longer, I think you should go check it out."

"WHAT, WHY ME?!"

"Because you're a better liar than me , and if I go out, I'll be spotted from a mile away since I have such a high bounty on my head."

Usopp sighed; he was right.

"Ok fine, we'll give them 2 more hours, then I'll go out and see what's up."

With that the conversation was over. Luffy turned on his heel and trotted toward the cabin of the ship where Chopper was resting. The little reindeer sat up when he saw his captain enter the room.

"How ya' feeling?" Luffy asked

"I've been better, but I think I'll be fine. Have the others come back yet?"

"Fraid not, but don't worry, they'll be ok" Luffy plopped down beside the reindeer and rubbed his head. Chopper looked pale, at least for a reindeer. "Do you know what the problem is yet?" Luffy asked. Chopper shook his head "whatever it is, it only affects us devil fruit users. Speaking of which, how are you feeling Luffy?" Luffy shrugged "I still feel kinda weird, but its not really anything to worry about." Chopper gave him a worried look, than let the thought leave his mind.

Zoro felt a chill envelop his body, then a terrible pain at his throat and stomach. When he opened his eyes he felt his skin change from icy cool to boiling hot. He winced in pain and closed his eyes again, it was like he was being burned alive. Then a relief of cool water covered his face, he opened his eyes to see Robin wiping his face with a moist cloth. He tried to speak but he felt like his vocal cords had been ripped from his throat, so he just looked up at her questioningly, hoping she would tell him what the heck was going on and where they were.

"Ah, nice to see your awake Mr. Swordsman, you had us a little worried, but we knew you could break the fever. You've been out for a couple hours now. We still don't know how Mr. Cook is doing, but don't worry Zoro, he'll be ok. I know how worried you must be for him. Zoro tried to chuckle, but it came out more like a rasped cough. He grabbed his throat and began to wheeze in pain, trying to breath normally. "Sorry Mr. Swordsman, but try not to use your voice. You have quite a mark around your throat and we wouldn't want you to loose your voice. Zoro nodded, closed his eyes, then lost consciousness. Robin looked over at Nami who was fast asleep on the uncomfortable cot at the other end of the cell. They were all exhausted, but someone needed to watch over Zoro. So Robin repositioned herself on the hard stool and formed another arm to keep wiping Zoro's head.

It had been 3 hours and still no sign of Zoro, Robin, Sanji, or Nami. Usopp was sweating like mad and trying to come up with an excuse for why he shouldn't have to go. But Luffy was tired of waiting and he doubted he could change the captains mind.

"Oy, Usopp, its been 3 hours and they're still not back yet. I guess you'd better go check it out now."

Usopp sighed; why bother arguing? "Ok, but let me get ready first" came Usopp's reply, and he rushed inside the Merry Go. Luffy looked around and the deck became very quiet for a few seconds, then Usopp returned in the form of an old fisherman with a beard and a scar across his cheek. "How do I look?" he asked.

"How'd you get on our ship?!" Luffy shouted at the stranger who laughed to himself. The man made a mischievous face.

"Well, I was caught in a storm while I was out fishing …"


	6. Usopp's Adventure

Usopp casually walked across the field where, just hours before, Nami had been captured. Over his shoulder he carried a small bag of fish to ensure that his identity would be more authentic looking.

The marksman walked slowly into the city; his head switching back and forth keeping a keen eye out for anything that resembled any kind of marine, but the town seemed pretty normal to him, which made him more worried.

A man walked up to him, wiping his hands with a rag.

"What can I do for you sir?" he asked casually, but Usopp was immediately suspicious.

"Er, yes, I'm a fisherman from an island not too far from here. I was caught in a storm and would appreciate it if you would give me a place to say for the night."

Of course Usopp had no intention of staying in the eerie city longer than a few hours, but it would make his story more believable. Now all he needed to know was what happened to his friends.

"Well sir, I'm sorry to say that this town isn't really a town for newcomers. We are actually a special marine base, founded for a special purpose that I especially cannot speak freely of. Even now I wonder if I've said too much, but basically we cannot allow strangers to wonder freely in our town."

The marine had already said too much, but Usopp kept his cool. "Aye, then I'll leave you good men be. I would hate to cause marines any trouble. They keep our sea's safe from inhuman pirates. Speaking of which…" Usopp decided to take this a bit further "… I heard quite a bit of ruckus going on my way over here. Were you having trouble with something? Just curious."

"I'm sorry sir, but that involves our research and I cannot inform you of such things" the marine replied sternly.

"Ay Ay, then I won't trouble myself with your dealings. I believe I can manage on my own. I just need to repair my boat, and I will be on my way. Thank you for your time."

And with that, Usopp turned slowly and walked away.

The fact that the village was actually a marine base meant one of two things. Either his crewmates were hiding out from these marines, or they had been captured already. For a while he figured he could just go back to the ship and have the others deal with the details, but the truth was that he needed to find out where the others were. Whether he went back now or stayed, he would have to find out where they were one way or the other. Might as well find out now instead of taking two trips. Besides, he would feel rather bad returning to the ship with just dire news.

So the marksman made his way through the woods around the town trying to see some trace of his friends. Luckily for him, the marines hadn't expected any new visitors so soon, so his presence went unnoticed.

Usopp toured the outskirts of the town, but wouldn't dare enter it. It seemed a trap to all uninvited guests and he definitely didn't want to get caught.

Upon seeing nothing of his friends hidden behind the village, he made his way near the coastal cliffs. It was at this time when he came across the location of Zoro's duel. The grass was a mess, and covered in blood. He shivered as he passed by a hand or two belonging to some marine or another. There was a fowl smell in the air and Usopp covered his long nose to block it out. The cliff was deserted by then, but Usopp could tell what had happened; he was no tracker but he could see clearly that there was no champion in this battle, which meant Zoro had fallen. Usopp tried to stay calm. He had already considered the fact that his crewmates had been captured, but this was overwhelming. Zoro was one of their strongest… and he had been taken down; but what had become of Sanji and Robin?

Nami heard the sound of keys being fiddled with at the door and turned to see what the cause was for the visit. There was a marine and someone in an odd suit standing before them. His voice was distorted by the mask he was wearing as he spoke. Pointing at Robin he simply stated "that one".

Robin looked up as the marine made his way over to her and got up, assuming she was being taken from the cell. The young marine took her arm and started walking towards the door.

"Hey, where are you taking her?!" Nami shouted at the person in the costume. He ignored her and closed the barred door. The marine turned to look at the two left in the room with almost apologetic green eyes. Despite his plane marine clothing, he looked peculiar. He had black hair that drooped down into his eyes, covered by the usual hat that all marines were used to wearing. Nami kept her eyes focused on him as they walked away. He looked around 18 to 19 years old, but definitely acted like any other marine. Nami watched as the three disappeared into the dark hallway, then walked to the small window overlooking the rocky slope leading to the sea. It had been just hours before that she had looked upon the prison from the safety of her barrel.

She looked over at Zoro who remained asleep. At least his fever had settled down, but she wanted someone to talk to her, so she wouldn't feel so alone. There usually was someone from there crew with her, but that was ok. She needed to be there to help Zoro recover. She had seen a few of his wounds already, and from what she could tell, it was a miracle he was still alive. The navigator walked over to Zoro's cot and grabbed some of the cloths Robin had used the night before and continued the historians work.

Usopp slowly made his way off of the sea cliffs and continued around the city. He came to the rocky slope where the small prison set, hidden amongst the boulders overlooking the shore. Usopp spotted it immediately, but didn't know whether to head on up and peer in, or stay back and not risk suspicion. He didn't see many around, but there had to be marines everywhere considering the location. There were a million places to hide out here, which could work to his advantage as well. The red boulders in front of him looked like they could cover him on his way; he just needed to see where the guards were.

The marksman looked all along the steep slope and saw two marines standing atop the chamber where his crewmates perhaps were being held. He also spotted two more behind one of the huge rock faces on the opposite side of the clearing. Other than that, the others must have been very well hidden. Usopp knew he had to go to that barred window despite the risks. He had to know if they had been taken.

Usopp kept his eyes on the guards on the far side of the opening to see if they were looking in his direction. Then there was a piercing scream from within the cliff face and the two guards immediately looked in that direction. Usopp had to take this moment to make his way up the slope without being seen, but he knew that scream. It struck terror in his heart to hear it. That cry belonged to their historian Robin. Usopp skidded to a stop behind a wall of boulders closer to the small window before him. He leaned against the stone's face, sliding to the ground and clenched his knees.

Luffy's eyes widened as he heard a faint scream from the other side of the island.

"Robin…" the young captain spoke under his breath.

Chopper popped his head off of his pillow "what'd you say Luffy?"

"They're in trouble" was his response as Luffy rose from his chair. Grabbing his hat, the boy was out the door.

The screaming died, and Usopp loosened the grip he had on his knees, returning his focus to the situation at hand. He popped his head out from behind the boulder to see if the two guards remained. They remained in their places; still oblivious to the marksman's presence. He let out a sigh. Seeing how close he was to the window, and what a clearing there was between him and that casement, he would have to wait till nightfall. Luckily, the sun was already beginning to causing the rocks to set huge shadows across the burgundy ground. Usopp slowly crept his way to the closest and largest bolder he could find. Then he heard a sound from the room that confirmed his suspicions.

"Robin!" Nami said aloud as the historian was led back into the cell. The black haired girl fell into Nami's arms. The navigator gently set Robin down to the floor and checked to see if she was injured in any way.

Robin looked up at her kindly. "I'm fine, just a little weak" she said softly with a grin. Then the historian seemed to fall asleep.

The door to the cell re-opened as the guards led, yet another member from Nami's crew in.

"Hey Nami" the cook said sluggishly as the marine locked the doors behind him, then he fell to his knees.

"Sanji!" Nami shouted out. She didn't know if it was out of worry, or out of relief that he was ok.

"What's wrong? What did they do to you?" she questioned.

"To be honest, I don't remember much; but what I do know is that I have a terrible migraine."

The cook put his hand to his forehead, and his eyes fogged up as he looked to the ceiling.

"I can't believe they got all of us" Nami stated quietly, knowing that loud noises would worsen Sanji's head ace.

"Yeah" was his only reply.

Nami decided it best to keep quiet for the moment. That's when she heard a noise out side of the window. Then a pebble made its way through the bars, tumbling to the cold ground. Nami immediately rushed to the window to see nothing before her besides the setting sun, which was pretty much below the horizon at the time. It was beginning to get dark and she couldn't see much. Then she heard it again; a small whisper.

"Nami, are you in there?" The marksman spoke as quietly as possible.

"Usopp?" Nami responded with excitement.

"Nami, are you ok? What about the others?"

"Well, we're all alive. That's a good thing."

"Thank heavens" Usopp sighed.

"You guys have to get us out of here. Go to the ship and tell Luffy, but you have to be very careful. They took down Zoro and Sanji. Let's hope you guys have it in you."

"You mean you hope Luffy has it in him. There's no way I could take these guys."

"True, that's what I meant" Nami said.

"Knowing Luffy" Usopp whispered "he has it in him. Don't worry Nami, we'll come back and kick these marine's butts. Just you wait."

Nami nodded "I know. We'll be waiting for you. Now quickly, get out of here before you get caught as well."

"Yosh" Usopp let out a quiet yell then slipped away.

Nami turned back to her fellow crewmates, who were now all asleep around Zoro's cot. The navigator limped over to join them. It was all up the Usopp now, all she could do now was wait, and she felt so exhausted. Nami plopped down beside Robin and let herself slip into a deep sleep; knowing that she and her crew would be saved, without a doubt.


	7. Black Haired Boy

Usopp skidded down the rocky earth, making his way as fast as he could away from the troublesome town. He had fortunately made it back from the cell without being spotted, but was now more frightened than ever. Once he had reached the fields, he broke into a dead run; constantly looking over his shoulder as he went. That was when he realized he'd been spotted; some marines on the outskirts of town he hadn't seen on his way out had caught him running away from the town.

"Maybe I should have kept my cool" he thought to himself as he realized that his beard was halfway off of his face. He smacked his forehead with frustration and ripped it off of his face. Running even faster he threw down his fishing net and made for the trees.

The marksman felt a sting in his shoulder to look down and see a dart lodged there.

"Oh dang"

Usopp felt the injection spread from his shoulder to the rest of his arm. He was going numb. The marksman looked back to see more guns aimed in his direction and let out a yell of fear, barely dodging the speeding darts before he continued running. Now his shoulder had become numb. Then another sting, this time his ankle.

"This is bad!" he shouted aloud.

The forest was so close now, but even then, how could he return to their hiding spot now with the assurance of not being followed. Then there was the chance that he wouldn't even make it to the woods.

To Usopp's relief, though his ankle was numb, he could still use the rest of his leg, and his shoulder wasn't really needed when it came to running. But the numbness had already reached his kneecap and he didn't know how long it would work for him.

Then he reached the first tree, then the next, then the next, and before he knew it he was in the woods. Safety, however, was still far from his reach; the trees did not keep his pursuers from continuing their chase. By now the tranquilizers had begun the greatly effect the marksman's pace and he could hear the marines overtaking him.

Suddenly, he was yanked behind a large bush then dragged into an overgrown briar patch. Usopp turned his head to see who his captor was.

"Luffy! Man am I glad to see you!" he whispered to the raven haired boy who in turn, looked up at him.

Upon seeing the boy's eyes it was clear they didn't belong to his captain. They lacked that shimmer of confidence and pure bravery. Physically, the boy lacked the scar on his left eye and his hair was better kept. The boy looked up at him with cold eyes, without feeling or emotion.

"Who are you? Why are you helping me?"

"Shut up" was the reply he received, and so he did.

The marines ran right past their hiding spot, without even a pause to look around. The two sat there in silence for a few minutes until the boy spoke.

"Um, don't you want to move your arm?"

"Why?"

"Well, from what I can see, it's been pierced in about 30 places by the thorns we're hiding in…"

"Oh…" the marksman looked down "well dang…"

"Seems its been numb long enough to where you can't feel a thing. In fact, I don't really know how much longer you'll be conscious. Then returning you would be a ton easier.

"No, please wait…" Usopp was getting dizzy and his speech was slurred, but he had to tell Luffy what was happening.

The young marine dragged the two from the thorns after taking a good look around. "Don't worry, I was just kidding, I won't take you back to the base. However, I have no idea what to do with you (or myself for that matter). Here, I have an antidote for that, so you can fend for yourself at least. Man this is bothersome…"

Suddenly, there was a ruckus from where the marines had gone. Then a rampage of flying foliage came charging their way.

"Dang, quick, get back to the underbrush!" shouted the boy.

"Eh?"

It was too late, the person was already upon them and running at an inhuman speed. He almost ran right past them, but Usopp reached out his arm and grabbed him by the arm.

To the young marine's surprise, the boys arm stretched almost 20 yards before he slingshoted back to them.

"Oi, Usopp! Nice to see your alive!" Luffy shouted.

"Um, who's this?" asked the marine.

"Shouldn't I ask you that first?" mumbled Usopp, who was still in a bit of a daze.

"Fine, my name is Paul. Now who is this?"

"My name is Monkey D. Luffy! And I'm gonna be king of the pirates!"

"Hmm, that's nice" Paul responded, dully looking away.

"Well, I gotta go save my nakama, so please take care of my marksman" Luffy said turning from them.

" W-Wait! Luffy, you need to know where they are first!" Usopp stuttered out.

"Hmm? Luffy said turning his head back at them "well, where are they?" he asked a bit agitated at being delayed.

"Well, you'll need to know more than their position" Paul said with a bit of scornfulness in his voice. _Didn't these people plan anything?_

"You" Luffy turned to Paul "Shut up".

Paul was a bit taken back and irritated. What kind of fool captain would just charge into a marine base without a battle plan? Well, if he didn't want his advice, he would just keep it to himself. His loss.

"They're being kept on the other side of the city, in a cell hidden within a rocky cliff. It's not too hard to spot, and even easier to get to. Just find a rocky plain on the other side of the town and from there you're sure to spot it" Usopp informed his captain.

"Dandy."

Then before another word could be spoken, the captain was gone; leaving a trail of dust and foliage behind him.

"What's with your captain? Is he crazy?" Paul stated as he helped Usopp to a more efficient hiding place.

"Yeah, pretty much, but he's dependable, and I trust he can save our nakama" was the marksman's reply.

The boy looked at him with a bit of confusion, then turned back to the trail he would be taking to find shelter.

Luffy stormed through the forest at top speed without even looking where he was going. All he knew was that the town was in that direction, and that beyond the town, was his nakama.

Suddenly, something came into his path that could not be demolished upon his arrival. Three pipes stuck up from the ground, and before he knew it, he had tripped over them and was sent skidding another 100 yards before stopping.

The captain made a face of annoyance, hopped up, and hustled back over to this disturbance. The three pipes just stuck strait out of the earth, seeming to have no purpose.

Luffy peered into one of them, then the other. On the last pipe, a sudden burst of gas burst from it, catching him off guard. It was something he had never smelled before, but the feeling was familiar. It was the feeling of drowning, but he could breath and wasn't underwater. It was that weakness, that demobilization that he felt when he was drowning.

"What the heck?" he said aloud as he fell to his knees. With that, Luffy passed out on the ground beneath him. This is when fate took a lucky turn for the Straw Hat Crew. The terrain the captain had fallen upon consisted of mainly large boulders and rocks. So the boy's fall caused him to slip down into a small crevasse, hidden from anyone who might head over in that direction.

4 hours later:

"Seems your captain failed to retrieve you're friends. Now what will you do?"

To be continued…


	8. Battle Plan

"Maybe he got lost" Usopp stated as the two followed the path Luffy had laid out for them unintentionally.

"You'd better hope so" replied Paul as he stared in a bored fashion through the woods. "Though I doubt it, this is heading strait for the town, and I dunno why he would make any turns unless there was a mountain in his path… which there isn't. I would assume he was caught."

Usopp looked away. Why bother arguing with this kid, but he was rather curious of who the heck he was.

"So, you're a marine… why are you helping us?"

"No real reason" was Paul's short response.

"I'm serious" Usopp pressed, look over at him.

"Well, it was more like a guilt thing. I kinda' just did this on a whim after seeing what they did to you're nakama. I couldn't be a part of that."

"What did they do to Robin?" Usopp asked urgently.

"It's… complicated, but don't worry, she hasn't been damaged. She should have a full recovery."

"What are they doing, torturing her?"

"No, its nothing like that; like I said, it's complicated. I'll tell you when you're older."

Usopp looked at the boy with frustration, but figured he would find out eventually.

"Well, don't they have any since of decency? I mean, they took robin first; a woman. Shouldn't they save the women for the last resort?"

"Because she was the only devil fruit user that had been caught. Who they really wanted was your captain, who I'm sure they've caught by now. I don't even want to know what they intend to do to him."

Usopp looked back at the trail; so that was what this was all about.

"So it's some kind of experimentation?"

"Yeah"

The two continued walking until they came to the three pipes sticking out of the ground.

"This is where they discard the gasses used in the experiments. They try to keep it a distance from the village so the devil fruit users would not become suspicious upon arrival at the city. I hope by now you understand the purpose of this place.

"I think I have a pretty good idea."

The two looked ahead to see the trail come to an end.

"Maybe your captain hasn't been taken after all. Let's have a look around shall we?"

"Lets"

The two boys began to wonder around, and in no time had retrieved the captain from his hiding spot.

"Real reliable" Paul stated in a sarcastic tone as they carried the unconscious boy to a hiding place.

"Well how was he supposed to know that gas would randomly shoot out from these things?"

"I would have told him, if he had stayed long enough to listen. I would say he got off easy."

"Well that's just how Luffy is" Usopp replied, a bit frustrated that this kid kept insulting Luffy. Did he have any idea of what Luffy had done? Oh well, the marine wouldn't be disappointed with Luffy once the captain successfully retrieved their crew.

That is, when he wakes up. Luffy's breath seemed heavy, as if his body was having trouble functioning correctly. Other than that, he was perfectly fine… other than that.

The two boys lifted the captain, who to their relief was very lightweight, and carried him to a well hidden but small cave. "Doesn't your captain have any meat on im'? He seems like a frail little guy."

Usopp snickered "oh, he has meat on his bones believe you me."

The two left the captain in the tight cave and went searching for firewood and returned in a sprint with armfuls of sticks and old logs. There was a light drizzle, an aftermath one would say of the storm the previous night but the last thing they needed was to get the wood wet.

Once they had found a dry area to store the firewood, the two squeezed into the cave that seemed more and more like a hole every time they got in. But neither complained, it kept the rain out, and there was room enough to sleep and keep somewhat hidden from anyone who might come searching for them.

Usopp continued the much needed conversation once they had both taken a seat out of the rain and mud.

"So, what exactly does this gas do to a devil fruit user?"

"It works about the same as sea stones, except it's in the form of a gas so if it is inhaled by a user, it will do the same, except from the inside out. It seems since this is his first time, your captain couldn't stay conscious with the first whiff of it. But I'm pretty sure this won't be the last time he experiences it. Lets hope next time he wont be so weak."

"That's it! You insult Luffy one more time, and I'll clobber you!" Usopp shouted at the boy who, in return, smirked.

"What's with you? You seem so cold, but you go out of your way to help us. Don't think your fooling me into thinking your some jerk. You can't be someone your not for too long before people start seeing who you really are."

Paul snickered "Seems you all are pretty light headed; wont be long before all of you are taken in."

"Fine, be that way" replied Usopp, crossing his arms.

"I will"

"Good"

"As I was saying, this sea stone gas should filter out of his system in an hour or two, but every time he inhales a whiff of this stuff a small bit remains in his system. So if he takes in too much it would clog up his system permanently."

"Oy, Usopp, could you get off?" Luffy stuttered from where he had been laid.

"What? I'm not even near you."

"Then tell whoever the heck's sitting on me to get their butt off"

The two looked blankly over at the captain, who looked blankly back at them, than at himself.

"Oh, that's odd" he said realizing that there was no one there.

"Nice to see your awake" stated Paul as he walked over to the captain "and now that you're just sitting there, I'll give you some tips you'll need to know before continuing. First off, the way your friends were captured in the first place was most likely because of the weapons us marines use as tranquilizers. As I've heard, your crew is strong, I saw them with my own eyes, but there's always a way to cheat strength. If you intend to save your friends you need more than just physical force to take down this marine base."

Usopp rubbed his head "so… what do you recommend we do? Since you seem to know much more about the base than we do, why don't you tell us what the greatest plan of action would be. What do you think Luffy?"

"Eh?" Luffy looked up from where he had been playing with his shirt which was a bit worn from his little rampage through the woods.

"Oh… yeah, sure."

Paul furrowed his brow in agitation as he looked dully at the young captain who had returned to playing with his shirt.

"Oh yeah, you've got quite a captain there… seems you'll need all the help you can get Pinocchio."

Usopp considered his threat to clobber the kid, but thought it best not to push the boy's patience when he needed his help.

"First off, I would recommend strapping wood or metal to your arms, legs, back, wherever you think might be vulnerable to those darts. Luckily, they're not too hard to stop so just a light layer of bark would do. Of course, your captain would have trouble keeping it on if he intends to stretch… not that I think he would wear it anyways."

"No, probably not" Usopp replied.

"Also" Paul continued "if we were able get into the town unnoticed perhaps we could find a place to hide your crew members till nightfall, then we could find a way to smuggle you all to your ship. At the moment I am at no risk of suspicion back at the base so I probably could find a good building to keep you."

Usopp raised his eyebrows and looked over at Luffy, who had fallen into a loud sleep. "You're plan is most likely the best anyone could come up with, however, I can guarantee you that Luffy will do his own thing… as in destroying this entire base. We've almost gotten used to Luffy destroying any facility used by his adversaries. So I doubt we can get out of there unnoticed."

Paul rolled his eyes "you know, the more I get to know you people, the less and less I feel like helping you out."

Usopp sighed "why don't we just try and come up with another plan. If we could just find a way around the marine's weaponry I'm sure our crew could kick their butt. Of course, I couldn't guarantee that they are in the condition to fight marines. They didn't sound in too great of shape in there…" the marksman looked at his feet.

Paul sighed "ugg, I don't think any plan could work in this situation, but give me some time; I'll think on it."

"Take all the time you need, but I recommend you finish before daybreak, cause I doubt Luffy will remain here when he awakes."

The young captain's breathing had returned to normal to Usopp's relief, now he had a taste of what Chopper went through whenever his crewmates where injured… where was Chopper anyways? Had he stayed on the Merry?

Paul rubbed his long shaggy bangs between his fingers "it seems you've made this quite difficult for me to work out, but I think we can figure something out. How's this; since your captain apparently will take off running when he awakes, we make our way to the base and see if we can support him from behind. Are you a good shot?"

"You bet. I'm the marksman of the crew. If I can see it, I can shoot it."

"Well, that's good to know. Now we need to know where a good place to hide while we give cover to Luffy, and hopefully your crew… How's this? I go out tonight and have a look around for a good spot; maybe set some booby traps…"

"Hey Hey! How do I know you wont just go get your marine buddies and come back to capture us? Even if you were telling the truth and really wanted to help us, you probably figured it was a hopeless cause by now and would rather just have things turn out in your favor. How can I trust you?"

"Well, here's your options: #1 you can not let me leave and stay up all night to assure I don't run off. #2 you can let me leave and run off with your captain, figure something out another way to save your crew and hope I don't spill the beans of you, or #3 you can let me go and hope I will keep my word." With that said the two stared blankly at each other for a few seconds then Paul finished "your choice."

"A choice you say? Oh well, go on. Let's just say I'm a trusting guy."

"Glad to hear it. I'll be leaving then."

The marksman sighed and waved him off. Once the young marine was out of sight he looked down at Luffy who and stopped snoring and was now sleeping quietly. He was glad Luffy had come along. He felt a lot less lonely with him there, even if he was asleep.

The marksman sighed and looked into the fire, it calmed him down a bit but he still felt uneasy, and had an odd feeling of guilt in his stomach. On any other island, or any other marine base, he would have trusted Luffy to do what was needed to take down the enemy. Luffy was dependable and Usopp felt uneasy working with this marine he had just met. He missed having the whole crew to back him up when troubles came their way.

The marksman shivered and scooted closer to the fire which had to be considerably small because of the caves lack of space and because it would draw attention to their hiding spot. Then he remembered the first time he had met Luffy. That was back when there was only Zoro and Nami in his crew and he remembered how terrified he had been when he'd first been attacked by Kuro, but then there was Luffy to make it all feel like fun and games. And despite how many wounds Luffy would receive, he never panicked or showed any signs of real fear.

Usopp looked back down at his captain again and smiled, if their captain could do anything, he could take fear and punch it back in the face of his opponents. The marksman then closed his eyes, forgetting about this new ally that made him uneasy, and forgetting about all the odds that were against them, and forgetting about how weak he was, cleared his mind of all the worries and let his mind drift with that last sensation of hope that had seeped back into his troubled thoughts. With that, the marksman fell fast asleep.

(Dun dun dun, hope yall liked that. I can promise you the next chapter will be more exciting. Sorry it took me so long to post this, I wus in Africa for 2 and ½ weeks so I couldn't really get much up here. Please R&R, I like reviews . I think ill switch over to my other story for a bit, but don't worry, im too excited about the next chapter to forget about it. Keep reading cheers)


	9. Interesting Allies

Usopp was awoken by a firm shake. At first he slowly opened his eyes until they were narrow slits, then immediately sat up, smacking Paul in the face.

"OW! Dang man!" shouted the young marine.

"Oi, sorry Paul" Usopp said, now wide awake thanks to his unusual jumpiness. Opening his eyes fully he realized it was still dark out.

"What time is it?" he asked.

"I think it's about 5 o'clock" Paul replied as he stood back up "we need to get going. Seems your captain took his leave during the night, so we'd better catch up if we want to be of any assistance to him…" Usopp blinked at him for a moment, realizing that it hadn't all been a dream. "SO GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND GET MOVING!" yelled Paul smacking him in the head.

Usopp jolted up and returned a punch at the marines harm "what's with the sudden hostility?"

"I dunno, guess since I've been a marine most of my life, I wanted a try at bossing someone else around. How'd I do?"

"Horrible"

"You're up aren't you?"

"Yeah, but just because I wanted to. You had nothing to do with it."

"Well, I guess you're so used to following orders in your crew, it came natural. Seems you've learned your place in life."

"Ok, you need to shut up. What's really important right now is saving my crew, and this bickering is getting us nowhere." Came Usopp's final retort, ending the argument.

Paul nodded then handed Usopp a gun.

"You're a marksman right?"

"Yeah"

"Ok, I found a good spot for you to cover for your friends. We just need to hurry and get there before its too late."

Usopp looked down at the gun "Umm, Paul, could you tell me how to work one of these things?"

Paul looked at him in shock. "You said you were a marksman!!"

"I am! One of the best!"

Paul stared at him for a moment "Don't most marksmen use weapons?"

"I do! Just not guns…" he pulled out his slingshot and Paul held back his roaring laughter with a cough.

"That's your… that's your… weapon?" And with that he couldn't hold back any more. Paul began crying with laughter. "No wonder your crew got caught..." Paul let out a little cough," I mean, what quality!"

Usopp just glared at him "Are you gonna show me how to work one of these or not? I've shot a canon if it matters."

"Well it doesn't, and sadly we can't have any shooting practice because it would cause a commotion; ruining any chance of assisting your captain."

Usopp looked down at the rifle "well, at least show me how to make it shoot."

"Fine. This is a bullet," Paul showed him the bullet as if he had never seen one before "and this is how you load it." He placed the bullet in the slot on the side of the gun.

Usopp grew a bit impatient as the young marine slowly went through the steps of loading and cocking the gun. If Paul would just run through the basics he would be fine, but nooo, he had to treat him like a child and waist their precious time.

"Listen, Paul, just explain it to me while we go." Usopp interrupted.

The marine paused, and looked down at the gun "Oh, sorry."

Usopp was taken back by Paul's willingness to do what he said, but went with it. What mattered most was giving Luffy their support.

Paul led the way as the two ran through the woods. After running a few minutes they would take breaks and Paul would finish explaining how to use the rifle to Usopp at a brisk walk.

Luffy made his way to the rocky slope before him. He hadn't been spotted and the darkness hid his presence from the watchful marines surrounding the town.

The boy was stern looking and his eyes (which had adjusted to the darkness) searched the face of the incline for the cell Usopp had told him of. Once he had found it he dashed behind a bolder and made his way towards the small window.

He had thought through what Paul had said about the tranquilizers and had conjured up an idea that might make him less vulnerable. However, he couldn't guarantee his plan would work, and since it was his crew at risk rather than himself, he would stay hidden until the last possible moment. Luffy could see hints of the sun on the dark horizon and knew his next plan of action would not be long.

Usopp looked down at his gun with a bit of pride. He felt powerful, and not nearly as frightened as he had been with the slingshot. He was ready to get his friends out of there and after a good night's sleep he felt well prepared. Now all he needed was more time and prayed that Luffy hadn't started attacking the prison just yet.

They had been running for quite some time by then and Usopp noticed that Paul looked worn out from the night before. The skinny boy kept the pace to nearly a sprint almost the entire time and Usopp wondered if he had slept at all the night before. Paul's eyes were almost completely covered with his shaggy bangs but the marksman could see traces of dark lines underneath them.

Paul suddenly skidded to a halt and the two took some time to catch their breath.

"Ok, now I have some friends who we should be meeting somewhere around here."

"What! Friends?!" Usopp looked around in fear, "This is a trap isn't it?"

Paul sighed and brushed his bangs out of his eyes so he could look directly at the marksman. "Its understandable that you would think that, but then again, you should think things through before you jump to conclusions. First of all, why would I have waited till now to capture you? I could have just captured you in your sleep without going through the trouble of running all this way."

"Oh… you have a point." Usopp grinned and rubbed his head "So, who are they?"

"Just some people I know that see things the same way I do."

At that moment there was a rustling in the bushes ahead of them and Paul raised his gun, but his expression remained calm. They could hear two people arguing as they made their way through the brush.

"Yeah, that's them" Paul said as he lowered his gun. "Hey guys, over here!"

"Paul? That you?" Usopp heard a rough voice question.

"Yeah, get over here I have someone for you to meet!" Paul shouted back.

A couple seconds later two marines stepped into the clearing and Paul walked over to them then faced Usopp.

"Guys, this here is Usopp, he is a friend of the pirates that are being held in cell 200. He's supposedly their marksman but it seems he's never used a gun in his life."

One of them snickered and the other hid his laughter with an amused grin.

"Oh, where are my manners? Usopp" Paul pointed to the taller of the two "this here is Canan" he pointed to the other "and this is Sky."

Usopp took in the obvious differences in the odd trio. The one called Canan seemed a lot less uptight then Sky, but he was clearly the older of the two. He had brown hair with long bangs, but not as bad as Paul's. His hair reached to about halfway down his back and was held back in a ponytail. His face was somewhat narrow with a visible shadow forming around his jaw line. His eyes were a golden color but hidden beneath the shadows around them. He was reasonably tan, clearly in good shape, and wore a marine cape sloppily over his shoulder. His weapons consisted of a large dagger he had strapped to his side and a huge pistol which he had strapped to his back. All together he looked like a laid back kind of guy.

On the other hand, Sky seemed very stringent. He stood very straight with his legs shoulder length apart, like he was standing at attention. His hair was, to Usopp's surprise, a light gray and a bit shorter than the others. The back of it stuck out a bit like bed hair while one fairly long strand hung down in the middle of his face, but didn't get in his eyes. His skin tone was about the same as Paul's, but lighter than Canan's, and he seemed a bit leaner than the two. He wore his cape to where it covered his entire body. It was well decorated with metals and bands, and on his back there hung a long handsome rifle that was a shiny black color. The marine's eyes were what stood out the most. One was a grayish white and the other was a very red wine color.

"Yeah, Sky is blind in one eye, but it doesn't give him no trouble." Paul said aloud when he saw Usopp's shocked face. "Now that we all know each other, we should get going. Sky, did you set out the land mines?"

"Yes sir." came the reply. It was a rougher voice than Usopp had expected.

"Very good, now let's head out."

"Yes sir."

As they were running Usopp leaned over to Paul "Are you some high ranking officer or something? They seem to give you a lot of respect."

"Actually," Paul replied "Sky is our highest ranking officer. He just has a thing about treating others with respect. In fact the only person he doesn't treat with respect is Canan. You see, while Canan is 28, sky is only 17, but he outranks Canan by about 3 ranks."

"How many ranks are there?"

"About 5, there's the Privates, the Elites, the Commanders, Generals, and then there's the guy in charge, the President over this research unit. To be honest, I don't think anyone in a lower rank has seen the presidents face."

"Whoa, does he never come out of his office?"

"Oh yes, he does but he's always wearing this mask and costume. Many of the marines have raised the suspicion that he's a devil fruit user himself. But what can you do, he's the guy in charge…Back to what I was saying, Sky is a General while Canan is Elite."

"So I'm guessing, since Sky doesn't respect Canan they don't like each other too much."

"On the contrary; they're best friends."

Usopp was a bit confused and looked back at the two following them hoping that they could be trusted. They were his only chance to help Luffy, and Paul seemed to trust them, so he would just have to go with it.

They came to a clearing where Paul halted. They were on a small cliff overlooking the scarlet hill where Luffy was hiding somewhere. It was a perfect layout for sniping and one could see the entire town from its location.

"Seems we got lucky and your captain hasn't attacked yet. Either that or he's already been caught."

"Man Paul, you need a more positive outlook on life. I mean, who thinks like that?" It was the first time Usopp had heard Canan speak. It was a deep voice; not so rough as Sky's and had a nonchalant feel about it.

"Any sane person." Sky retorted "It makes since that he would consider all of the options."

"Well it makes sense that it's a possibility, but this guy here" Canan pointed to Usopp "is probably stressed out as it is. Paul didn't have to state the obvious. No one wants to think about that option till we know it's happened."

"Whatever you say Elite" Sky said calmly "Paul, I have the detonators."

"Then I guess you can be on your way. Good luck General."

"Thank you sir… See ya' Canan."

And with that Sky turned. A gust of wind caused his cloak to fly up revealing, what Usopp assumed was a whip on one side of his waist and a large black sack which he figured was full of bullets for the slick rifle on his back.

"Yeah, get out of here General" Canan said as the grey haired boy made his way down the cliff, then out of sight.

"Hey, where is he going?" asked Usopp realizing that he had no idea what the plan was.

"He's returning to the base so he can help your nakama make it safely out of cell 200. You and I will be sniping from here, while Canan assists your captain in the attack" Paul answered.

"And with that" said Canan "I'm off. Try not to shoot us down there ok?"

"I'll try" replied Usopp looking down at his gun.

"Thanks" and with that, Canan leapt from the cliff to another below, making his way down quite a bit faster than his friend.

The two were left alone on the cliff, waiting for Luffy to take action and hoping that the others would get there fast enough to help. The stars weren't visible anymore because the morning was drawing near. The sun hadn't come up yet, but the sunrise had already become visible.

"So, how does a guy like Sky, who's half blind, come to own such a beautiful gun? He couldn't possibly be able to shoot accurately" Usopp pointed out. He figured since they had a bit of time he could learn more about the three.

"Oh, he's an amazing shot. I would rather have him up here than you, but it would be too risky to get you down there. Since he's a General, very few marines would question his acts."

"How can he possibly be so good?"

"Many years of practice" Paul replied as they situated themselves on the grey rocks concealing them from sight. "But you can't judge any of us by our ranks. I am a Commander, but I'm no better fighter as Canan. It's more of how the officials see you, not in battle, but the facade one puts on in their presence. Now I'm not saying that Sky has gotten to his level unjustly, but he has a natural ability to get on the official's good side."

"Makes since" said Usopp "So, if you're a Commander, you've got to be good at something."

"Well, I can hold my own in a battle just like the next guy" Paul replied but didn't continue as Usopp had expected, but he decided not to bother pressing it. It he wanted to tell him about his fighting ability he would have. So for the time he would just resituate himself and get ready for whatever was coming.

Luffy bent down and took some dry dirt in his hands and rubbed them together. His hat covered his eyes to where only a shadow could be seen. Standing up to his full height he faced the cell hidden in the cliff. It was still dark out and he wasn't noticed. He knew that this wouldn't be easy if they had managed to capture so many of his nakama, but he was definitely not afraid. Fear would only hold him back and distract him from doing what had to be done. No, what was there to be afraid of? These foolish marines would get what was coming to them, no matter what they had hidden up their sleeves.

The young captain scuffed his sandals across the arid earth beneath him causing dust to fly up and the tip of the sun to shine through. A grin rose on his face "Lets do this".

To be continued…

Yay, finally we're at one of the main climaxes! Please keep reading no matter how long and boring this chapter was! It will get real exciting in the next one! Honest!! Please R&R. Thanks!


	10. Battle for Cell 200

Sky looked down at his bandaged arm as he made his way to the base. The swordsman had been a tough opponent and he had been surprised that any human could have injured him in that situation. Didn't matter now; he had another job to do and he wouldn't let the guilt keep him from doing what was needed.

To Nami's relief, the others had at least awoken before daybreak. Sanji was so sluggish however, that no real conversation had been had since they arrived at the cell. Zoro wasn't too talkative in his condition either. His fever had broken as expected, but he looked horrible. The marines had neglected to give him morphine to ease the pain from his injuries and every once and a while he would let out a small gasp but then act like he was yawning. No one was fooled that he was simply tired. Robin had begun shaking about an hour after she had fallen asleep and her breathing was labored. Nami had made a lame attempt to set her ankle but had yelled out in the process forcing Sanji to grab his head in pain. The captives were definitely in bad condition.

"OUTTA THE WAY!!" came a roaring voice from somewhere on the other side of the cell window.

Nami, out of instinct, grabbed Zoro from his cot and along with the others ran to the opposite end of the cell just in time for a monstrous arm to come crashing through the wall then grab on to the floor.

They all looked down at it and knew what was coming next and ducked. The small boy came zipping in and ran into the other side of the bars where two guards stood in shock.

"Hey guys, miss me?"

"Heck yeah" replied Sanji who had just gotten a full migraine attack when the sun reached his eyes and when Luffy made contact with that wall, but he had to admit he was glad to see the captain.

"We've gotta get out of here… man Zoro, you don't look so good!"

"Yeah, well what did you expect?"

With that the short conversation was ended and Luffy began crawling out of the hole he had created.

"Follow me" he said looking back, then realized that having them do that would be quite impossible. Nami was trying her best to get Zoro, but the combination of her twisted ankle and the swordsman's weight showed that she couldn't have even made it out of the cell. Sanji was taking staggering steps to follow and Robin seemed to force every step she took.

"I'll get Zoro" said Luffy as he quickly took his first mate from Nami and sat him on his back. "Got anything to tie him to me with?"

Nami handed him the worn sheets on the cot that were covered in Zoro's blood and helped him tie Zoro to himself as quickly as possible. Then Luffy wrapped one of his arms all the way around her, Sanji, and Robin leaving him one free arm. He did this just in time, for the hall had flooded with marines. With huff Luffy jumped out of the prison carrying all four of his rescued nakama. He immediately put his thumb to his mouth and bit down, blowing a substantial amount of air into his rubber arm till is swelled to a giant size. The marines on the higher ground above the cell immediately began opening fire on the escapees. Luffy took all the hits with his swollen arm feeling several pricks from the darts.

"Dang it! They got Luffy!" shouted Zoro who, instantly regretting his decision to use his lungs, coughed up blood.

"No worries Zoro, if this works it shouldn't be a problem" came Luffy's reply as he bounded down the red slope, bouncing from boulder to boulder. After he had covered a bit of ground he set the others down and shifted the air from his right arm to his left. Upon doing this a sickly green liquid began to drain out of his right arm like it was a sponge.

"Cheers! It worked" shouted Luffy in celebration.

"Awesome Luffy" said Nami who was bursting with adrenaline.

Suddenly, something exploded feet from them. The marines had begun to throw had bombs at them from above, and one could tell that some of them had switched from darts to bullets. Marines were coming from all directions and several wielded daggers and swords.

"This wont work" said Luffy sternly. "I'm sorry guys, but I'm gonna have to have you guys run on your own. It would be a bit impossible to battle these guys off with my hands full. Does everyone feel up to it?"

They all nodded and began running as fast as they could towards one of the weaker sides of the marine forces.

"Luffy, I can go one" mumbled the weak voice of the first mate behind him.

"Like heck" came Luffys reply, as he blocked another shower of bullets and darts.

"I'm slowing you down, and you pretty much crush me when you maneuver you air from one arm to the other."

Luffy stopped and realized Zoro was right. Any fighting style he chose would harm his friend. So Luffy immediately ripped the sheets off and called out for Nami.

"I know it's a lot to ask Nami, but I cant protect you guys with Zoro on my back, could you guys carry him?" asked the captain with a sincere feeling of guilt showing in his eyes.

"Of course" she replied, though she didn't know how she could possible support him with her ankle in the condition it was.

Then Sanji came stumbling up "don't worry Nami, I know your ankle can't take that kind of strain. I've got this" and with that he took Zoro from Luffy and made his way as quickly as he could towards the safety of the woods.

Once he saw his crew on his way Luffy was ready to beat the crap out of their attackers who he'd only been defending himself from till now. A nearly insane grin crossed across his face and his eyes widened with excitement.

"GOMU GOMU NOOOO!!! PISTOLLL!!!" he yelled as he shot his monster fist into his attacker's path, crushing several in his blow. He could only use one handed attacks when he was in Gear 3. There was a sting from three darts that had found their way to his left ankle. Luffy growled and after filling his chest with the access air he twisted himself into an odd spiral. After shooting a blast of air from his mouth he was shot into the air and as quickly as he could he bit his thumb again and returned to gear 3. He had feared he would turn into a chibi for that second, but apparently his body could hold out for a bit longer. The captain directed the air from his arm to his foot, causing the numbing liquid to shoot out of the three holes the darts had left in his ankle.

"_Who knew that I would learn something from that leak in Alabasta?_" he thought to himself as he smashed down on his victims below with his leg. The rocky cliff had been completely reconstructed by then. Luffy looked over to see how his crewmates were doing and realized that before long they would need an escape route cleared for them.

The raven haired boy snapped back down and ran in their direction, blocking more bullets and darts coming from everywhere. The cliff was in complete pandemonium, and Luffy wondered how the marines kept from shooting one another. He took off to follow his crew from the rear. Then the inevitable happened; Luffy felt himself shrink to a tiny size, and he tripped over his tiny legs. He skidded a few feet and hissed when he felt the small pebbles lodge into his newly formed gashes on his hands and knees.

The view was much different from below… in fact, he could hardly see anything. Dust had flown up in every direction and his tiny form had become hidden under the cloak of chaos all around him. The good news was that he wasn't spotted when he was so vulnerable; the bad news was that he didn't know where he was. Then he heard the sound of his navigator's voice "where's Luffy?!"

She sounded scared and worried, which put upon Luffy an almost madning desire to defend his crew. He leapt up and began running blindly through the dust and smoke, dodging running feet, tumbling rocks and, to his surprise, every once and a while a fallen marine who'd been shot from somewhere.

* * *

Usopp and Paul were firing shot after shot and in fact, hadn't stopped shooting since Luffy had made his move. Usopp's shoulder was sore and his eyes were watering, but he wouldn't stop till his nakama had returned.

"You surprise me marksman" shouted Paul over the noise of the battle "you're actually a pretty good shot!"

Usopp had to admit he had shocked even himself at his ability to shoot the rifle. He had hit almost every thing he had aimed at, though he felt a bit sick knowing he was doing much more than just burning, stinking, or cutting the people he shot. He saw one of the marines take aim at the small group of his friends. Redirecting his gun, he shot at the man and saw from the distance that he had taken out his arm. The marksman puked up, ridding himself of whatever he had left in his stomach from supper the day before. This means of fighting was much more efficient, but Usopp was having trouble getting used to it.

"Hanging in there marksman?" yelled Paul over the noise.

Usopp nodded, holding his mouth to keep more from leaving his stomach.

Paul looked over the scene to see where he was needed most. The newly released pirates were slow going, but considering the situation, he had to admit they were pretty tough. He had seen what condition the blonde had been in the night before, and now he was not only supporting himself, but his fellow crew mate.

"Your crew is quite admirable!" Paul shouted over to Usopp who was trying to reload his gun with his shaking hands. "I was wrong to think they were air heads."

Usopp nodded, obviously not paying much attention to the marine's personal convictions. He just kept shooting, and would continue till his friends were returned.

Nami was shocked at how little the resistance against them was. Luffy had done an amazing job at protecting them from behind, but now fear came back to her when she couldn't see him or hear him yelling out attacks. As for the marines before them, she had not overlooked the one marine standing between them, who had done nothing but clear paths for them since they started to run on their own. The man had brown hair and was wielding a huge dagger, lessening the marines by an evident number. In fact, the only man she knew could wield a weapon of that sort better would be Zoro, but he wasn't the only one clearing their way. Marines were falling all around them from gunshot wounds. She had begun to lead Robin by the arm, for the historian seemed unable to do anything on her own no matter how hard she tried.

Sanji swore at Zoro's weight every step he took. Why'd the stupid swordsman have to go get himself injured like this? Now his shirt and pants were covered in blood and he felt like he was about to pass out. The cook looked ahead to see Nami practically dragging Robin with her; and that marine who had surprised the lot of them continued to fight with that dagger of his. For this, Sanji was truly grateful.

Zoro for the first time in his life actually felt guilty for causing their cook so much trouble. Even to the point to where Sanji's irritated swearing made him feel a little bit better. He was worried when Luffy couldn't be heard anymore, and hated to be in such poor condition. He wanted to go join the others in the battle rather than get carted around by a half dead Sanji, but the wounds wouldn't even let him rest, none the less fight.

Up above the remains of cell 200, stood Sky with three other Generals, and beside them stood the president of the organization who wore his air mask and multi-layered outfit to where he barely looked human.

Sky glanced over at the president, but one just couldn't read the expression through the mask, so he returned his eyes to the battle field. It seemed the marines continued to fight even though their target was nowhere to be found.

"OOF!" grunted Luffy as a running marine tripped over him. He tumbled a few feet and looked up to see the marine looking back to see what he had tripped over. When he saw the miniature Luffy he began to shout out but was cut off by one of Luffy's "double barrels" in the face. Being tiny didn't relieve the captain of his rubber abilities; it just shrunk them down to size. Had he been his regular size he could have taken out about twenty marines with one of those. Whatever the case, the marine was out cold. All around him, Luffy could hear men screaming a variety of confused dialogues.

"Friendly fire! Friendly fire!"

"Someone's taking us out like flies!"

"Don't go near the crew! You'll get shot!"

"Where's the captain!? Where's Monkey D. Luffy!?"

Despite the chaos, the dust was beginning to settle and the little captain wasn't hidden quite so well anymore. Gunshots could be heard all around, and he caught a small cry from his nakama "Luffy?!" They were worried about him, even in their condition. Luffy continued to run, but despite his anti-numbing technique's success, he was beginning to tingle all over his body.

Suddenly, he was tackled by a middle sized marine and they rolled a few feet before he felt himself being pinned down to the ground by some random marine with good eyesight. He struggled a bit but his size proved to be quite a handicap. The marine took him by the neck and lifted him into the air. "I've got Monkey D. Luffy!" he shouted, trying to restore order in the confusion.

Despite his lack of oxygen because of the marines ever tightening grip on his throat, Luffy was glad to be able to look around and see how his nakama were fairing. To his relief they were much farther than he had expected, and also they seemed to have a new comrade giving backup. He was relieved that they were safe, and then returned focus to his own situation. He saw the brown haired marine, who was busy keeping off marines from his crew; look over to see him in the air squirming against the grip on his neck. The marine then stopped what he was doing and took a dash towards the captor and captive. Once he had gotten several yards from the two he leapt into the air, bringing his dagger down behind him with both hands, the thrust it down through the hard ground creating an amazing gorge and an enormous amount of dust to return to the air. Then before Luffy could blink he was right beneath him, thrusting his dagger into the man's stomach. The captain was immediately released, then caught by his rescuer who lifted him up by his collar to look at him straight in the eye.

Canan had not expected the captain to shrink 5 feet, but if nothing else, he was amused and incredibly happy to have found him.

He returned Luffy's look of confusion with a pleased grin.

"Lucky"

To Be Continued…

Yay, finally the battle had begun, but there's much more to come! Don't think the war is over my friends! Thanks for reading and I shall repost as quickly as possible. If ur confused at any part just lemme know.

Oh, and just a small fact, Canan is pronounced "kay-nan". At least that's what I intended it to sound like. Please R&R!!! Thanks for the support!


	11. Misfortunes

Luffy stared at his savior not knowing exactly what to do next. He had seen this man fighting for his crew, so he wasn't in any way feeling threatened, but now what? He was in no condition to be protecting his crew and every marine on the slope seemed to be focusing mainly on him, but all of that didn't matter now. What mattered most was the protection of his crew, and he wasn't doing his job as captain being held up by his collar by some stranger.

"Oi, could you put me down? I need to go protect my nakama" he said point blank to Canan with a calm, in charge tone to his voice.

The marine's amused grin faded into a kind smile and he shook his head "even in this state you intend to look after your crew. I admire that determination but I can't allow you to go after them just yet."

And with that, the Elite shoved the miniature Luffy into his jacket and covered him over with the long textile. He heard Luffy mumble protest through the fabric but didn't try to interpret it. So Canan held Luffy in a bundle under his left arm and with the other returned his focus to the battle which was hardly a battle at all by then. The shots were still coming in the direction of Paul and Usopp from their hiding place. This was what was causing all the chaos on the grounds; that and the loss of Luffy who seemed to be the main focus of the Elites while the Privates mainly feared for their lives. No one seemed to be going near the other crew mates. They were all searching for the missing captain; some believed that he was the cause of the bullets flying. He had just vanished, and now it seemed he was taking the offensive. This of course was just the result of panic, which lead to rash assumptions.

Canan looked over the scene to see where he was needed most. He saw the four generals standing with the president watching over the scene and felt a sense of uneasiness in his gut, but he knew that Sky was standing there with them, and he was a trustworthy friend. He then turned his head to see how much progress the pirate crew had made. It was slow going, but they were going a lot faster than would be expected of anyone.

He then began to sprint at the group of marines closer to the small group.

The president's expression could not be read through the mask, so Sky had not clue what he had up his sleeve. The young general kept his expression blank, staring over the battle field. He felt a great sadness seeing his underlings in such disarray. Many of which he had built up strong relationships with. He saw several whom he believed would have joined him in the pirate's favor being shot down. He wished that there had been more time; and then there was the matter of trust to where it was only in Paul and Canan who he trusted completely. It would have been too risky to get the others involved, but so many were being sacrificed for the pirate's expense.

Sky closed his eyes and prayed that this would end quickly and with as few casualties as possible.

Canan was relieved to see that the crew had almost reached the clearing where they had set the detonators. Soon they would out of harms way for the most part; just a bit further. As long as the marines were kept busy looking for Luffy, their focus would be drawn away from the crew.

Just as he thought this his cloak seemed to come alive under his arm to where he couldn't control it. This caught the attention of several marines around them who had known that Canan had been fighting against them.

"He's hiding something!" one of them yelled, and then the inevitable happened. Luffy's head popped out of Canan's jacket, inches from his face. Apparently Luffy had returned to his usual form. This caught every marine in seeing distance's notice and they began to yell to their friends that Luffy had been spotted.

"Crap" mumbled Canan as he looked around him, wondering who to evade first.

"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT!?" shouted Luffy right into Canan's ear. "Who just goes around stuffing people into their coats!?" Canan made a face of irritation; this was rather awkward.

And with that, Luffy began to try and untangle himself from Canan's jacket. After a couple of seconds without success Canan swept his hand over to unfasten the coat from his shirt. Upon doing this Luffy fell in a clump to the ground and took another few seconds in a furious skirmish against the cloak to finally free himself.

"Seriously man" declared Luffy as he dodged an attack from a broad marine.

"Listen" retorted Canan "don't go near your nakama; the marines are after you and they would have a better chance of escaping if you kept your distance."

Luffy punched the man in the stomach and glanced over at him with a more solemn look on his face. "They're after me? Why?"

"It's complicated" Canan replied "but please, trust me; you should be focusing on your own safety rather than theirs. I can take care of them, but you are in much more danger. Get away from here as fast as possible if you care for your wellbeing."

Luffy looked away from him and stood to his full height. "I will do what I can for my crew. Please don't interfere again, but thank you for your help."

The captain turned away from his crew and began to run in the opposite direction.

Canan's expression turned to shock. It was a good plan, but it was also a risk. The raven haired boy was gambling his life with the hope of his nakama's escape.

The marine was struck with admiration of the young captain's nerve, then returned his thoughts to the current situation. If the boy was to risk himself for his crew, it was his job to make certain that they got away safely.

The sun had almost risen completely from the horizon and was throwing blasts of red dye all over the heavens. It was both beautiful and poignant at the same time, haunting the plane where the battle was taking place.

Luffy drove his fist into the earth, then with a powerful force, he charged his attackers, taking the terrain behind him with him. This caught everyone's attention and immediately the entire marine militia headed in that direction. Luffy suddenly stopped, allowing his arm (which had been increasing in force as he ran) to propel in front of him and rise from the ground to take out, not only the marines in front of him, but also the earth beneath them, leaving the whole group in disarray. Once his arm had snapped back into place he commenced in running at full speed away from his crew with the marines on his tail.

Sky watched as the captain made his way opposite of his crew and let out a small grin.

"Suppose he knows we're after him now" he thought to himself. "Very admirable Mugiwara."

He then looked over to see what the president would do about the situation. It was clear that it would be far more difficult to capture the pirate without him being distracted with his crew. At least there would be fewer casualties on the marine's side now that they were drawing away from the crew. It must have been hard for Paul to take out his former comrades.

Then the president spoke. "Bring out the cannons and take aim at the crew" came the muffled order. Sky's eyes widened. This was not what they had expected. Even Canan couldn't block the canon fire, and the crew was in no shape to do so. The grey-haired boy stepped over to the president. "Sir, wouldn't it be unwise to fire upon our own men, while our main goal is Monkey D. Luffy? What good would it do to destroy the crew?"

The president looked down at him "you are correct Sky, our main goal is Luffy, however, the best way to catch a fish is to use bait; which, fortunately, we have. Watch, General, as we lure in our prey."

Sky frowned and turned back to look over the battle field. He figured that was what the president had thought, but had hoped he could stall him or change his mind by questioning the order. This had failed and all he could do was watch.

Nami looked over her shoulder to see if she could spot Luffy. This was a lot easier than she had thought it would be. Apparently he was doing a fabulous job of making his presence known to everyone, but why was he running away from them. He couldn't be abandoning them, for he was going deeper and deeper into the marine's forces. But her captain wasn't mad (though he seemed that way at times). Why would he do that?

Suddenly she heard cannon fire from the destroyed cell where the Generals stood. She looked just in time to see several huge cannonballs flying her way. Nami screamed but there was no time to dodge so she grabbed Robin, who was supporting herself on her shoulder, and closed her eyes waiting for impact. It never came but she had heard it hit something. She opened her eyes to see Sanji kicking the cannon ball back at the cell. He then fell to the ground in pain, bringing Zoro down with him. He didn't have the strength to use so much power yet.

"SANJI!" Nami shouted then bent down to help him up. He was shaking and covered with sweat as he tried to get himself on all fours. "Its ok Nami" he said weakly then brought one leg up in an attempt to return to a standing position.

Zoro also was trying his best to get up, but before any of them could recover completely, another cannonball smashed a boulder beside them. Nami screamed again and Robin looked up in fear.

"LUFFY!" Nami shouted, for she knew only he could block those cannonballs.

Canan had seen them bring out the cannons and was running at full speed to help the crew when they had taken the first blow. He was amazed at the strength of the blonde man who had blocked the cannon ball with his leg alone, but he could tell all of them were reaching their limit.

Usopp looked upon the scene in shock. This wasn't happening! Why wasn't Luffy defending his crew? He was running out of ammunition and was trying to make every shot count. He knew he had to take out the marines firing those cannons or his crew would be destroyed. So with careful aim he shot one of them in the shoulder. He couldn't hear him, but he saw the man scream out and fall over. He had gotten used to the sickening effect of his bullets on the men below, but not without leaving a small puddle of puke beside him.

"Nice shot" he heard Paul say and for the first time in a while he looked over at the marine. The boy looked tired, and sad; as if he had just suffered the loss of a close friend. Usopp then came to the realization that every man he took down, Paul had probably known personally. The marksman looked sadly down at the his gun, then at his crew below.

"What are you doing marksman?! I can't protect your crew all by myself!" shouted Paul over the cannon fire below "take out those guys manning the cannons!"

Usopp shakily took aim once again to see the man had been replaced with another. "Crap."

Luffy heard the cannon fire and had also heard Nami call his name. He immediately knew what was happening. They were being blasted with cannon fire and he was nowhere near them to block the attacks.

"NAMI!" he shouted aloud as he dodged several attacks from the surrounding marines.

Then he knew what he had to do. He needed to take out the cannons before his crew was killed.

So with one powerful swipe he took out the surrounding marines then brought his thumb to his mouth and bit down.

"GEAR THIRD!"

Filling his arm with air once again he swung his oversized fist back and then used his unnatural strength to swing it straight at the cell he had already destroyed earlier. The attack was successful and the cannons were completely destroyed.

Luffy grinned, then his eyes widened as a terrible pain shot through his arm. He went to bring his arm back to him but it wouldn't move.

"What the heck!?"

Sky looked down at the huge fist of the pirate. It was covered in blood as a result of it being impaled by 3 huge spikes. The other generals had been ready for his attack as was planned by the president. Sky wondered if his superior was suspicious of him.

The air in Luffy's fist seeped out of the holes that had been created till it had shrunk down to its regular size. They heard the boy scream as his arm was spread apart by the painful spikes, ripping his wounds farther apart.

Sky didn't know what to do. Their plan was falling apart before his eyes. The captain was as good as captured now.

Zoro heard the cannons being smashed into bits and looked up with a grin expecting to see Luffy beating the crap out of the marines near the cell, but what he saw brought an expression of dread to cross his face. "Luffy…"

Then the others looked up to see how the tides had turned against them.

"Luffy!" shouted Robin weakly.

"Zoro!" called Sanji and they all looked to see Zoro making his way back to where they had just come from. Blood covered his tracks as he made his way back up the hill.

"Zoro! You can't save him!" shouted Nami who was beginning to panic. Everything had been going so smoothly till now. "You're in no condition to save anyone! Please! Come back!" she was crying now, the situation was becoming hopeless.

Zoro ignored her and continued to limp as fast as he could along the rocky earth. The marines were nowhere near them anymore so no one opposed him.

"Those cowardly dogs!" shouted Canan in rage. He didn't know whether to help the crew or the captain and was having trouble with the marines; several of which he had trained with himself.

"What are you doing Canan!?" cried out one of the marines in front of him. "Why have you betrayed us!?"

"I have betrayed no one! Since when did your orders become more important that justice itself!?" he retorted making his way to Zoro who was about to kill himself trying to get up the hill.

"This is justice! They're murderers and thieves! Pirates Canan! Pirates!"

But Canan was ignoring them by now and watched the scene up at the cell unfold.

Luffy was propelled forward. Since his arm would not come to him, his body was snapped forward and he crashed into the huge spikes holding his arm causing them to dislodge from the earth, freeing him. He gritted his teeth in pain.

The boy immediately scrambled to his feet and was about to attack when he shrunk once again.

"Dang it!" he shouted and began to run for cover.

"Shoot him!" one of the generals ordered and a marine took out his dart gun and took aim at the small captain. However, when he shot Luffy turned at swatted the dart away before it could hit him. Though he was small, he still had the same amazing reflexes he had built up over his adventures in the past, and then began running again.

"Heh, think you can get away that easily?" said one of the taller generals calmly.

Then the man took out a large seastone net and threw it at the small boy. It couldn't be dodged with his small legs and definitely couldn't be blocked. All he could do was run and hope to be missed. His wish was not granted. The net covered him and he fell to the ground, deepening the scrapes on his knees and hands.

Just then he returned to his regular size.

"Perfect timing" Luffy growled under his breath reaching his hand out of the net to grab onto something. He hissed at the pain in his arm as he tried to move it, but it was covered in so many wounds he could hardly recognize it as his own anymore.

Sky looked down at the boy on the ground in front of him in horror. Then the president spoke to him

"you see Sky, the best way to capture your prey is to use bait…"

To be continued…

Hope u enjoyed it, I used up my entire Sunday on this, but here it is. PLEASE R&R!! Wut will happen to our crew??????


	12. Misunderstandings

Zoro had seen the whole incident from the lower ground and was single-minded to do his duty and protect his close friend. He really didn't know how, and he heard his friends behind him shouting the same, but he had to fight, he had to save Luffy. As he ran he knew he was using energy that he didn't have and that he would regret it later, but the regret would be much worse if he was to abandon his captain. So the first mate continued his charge up the hill. He was surprised at how the marines hardly noticed him. They all were focused on scene back at the cell.

Luffy saw Zoro making his way up the hill in shock. This wouldn't do, he had to get out of the net, but he felt so week; like his body just didn't feel like moving even though his head was screaming at it to take action. He felt a dart hit his arm and growled. He couldn't prevent the sedative from seeping through his body.

"Crap!" he shouted aloud and knew that escaping the net would be physically impossible for him in this state. He almost yelled at Zoro to turn back, but feared it would draw attention to his wounded first mate, so he did the only thing he could. He reached his weak arm out of the net and grabbed onto a boulder so he wouldn't be dragged in like a captured animal. He didn't know how he would keep his grip on it since his vision was already beginning to blur. He coughed on the dust that flew up in his face as he dragged his leg up to brace himself for a tug-of-war to come.

"You actually think that will help straw hat?" asked the general holding him in a mocking demeanor, then gave the net a jerk. Luffy gasped as his injured arm was jerked from gripping the rock to clawing at the ground. This was very demeaning and Luffy scowled in anger at the thought that all the strength he had worked so hard to acquire could just be taken away with a stupid net. Now the anesthetic had spread over almost his entire one good arm.

"Well, someone stop the swordsman" came the presidents muffled voice from under his mask. He sounded almost agitated.

"Leave him alone!" shouted Luffy "he's clearly in no state to fight and I'm the one you want!

His was given no response but the president looked over at one of the skinnier generals and jerked his head in a "get going" fashion.

"Stop!" Luffy tried to shout with power "if you let him go I'll come in quietly!" He sounded desperate and he knew it.

"You are in no position to negotiate" said the general holding him.

Luffy saw the skinny general make his way towards Zoro who had made his way back up the slope faster than he had made it down with Sanji's help. He was clearly having trouble staying conscious but his faced was set and looked a lot more threatening than his body did.

That was his first mate. The one he had come to save was coming back to save him, but would fail. Luffy refused to allow his swordsman to fail, to be captured again after all he had been through. He had to do something, but his blasted arms were practically useless.

The general had almost reached Zoro who had no weapon to fight with. He quickly grabbed a sword that had fallen during the battle. Then the general was upon him, but to his surprise, the man was halted in his attack. At first there seemed to be no apparent reason but then he noticed the stretched arm that had taken hold of the man's shirt. He saw Luffy facing the ground with his hair covering most of his face, apparently unable to support himself with his other arm. He was panting so hard it was painful for the swordsman to watch. Blood and sweat dripped from his stretched arm which shook weakly as it seemed to be forcefully stretched when it couldn't.

"Don't touch my swordsman" gasped Luffy, almost in a whisper. Then his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he seemed to have lost consciousness. His head fell to the ground, but his heavy panting continued and he sustained his grip on the general's shirt.

"How dare you!" shouted the general who turned to slice the arm with his sword but once again his actions were stopped. Zoro drove the sword through his stomach, and a bullet pierced his arm. He screamed and collapsed to the ground in a puddle of his own blood.

"Luffy!" Zoro shouted as the boys arm snapped back to its owner. "Hang on, I'm coming!"

The boy looked up weakly "don't worry Zoro. Get out of here while you can. I'll stay alive till then. See" he raised his injured arm "it's just a scratch. The dang sea stone's what's causing problems. Just go!"

Zoro ignored him.

"Zoro! As your captain I order you to go back!" Luffy shouted hoarsely.

"Don't you trust me Luffy!?" shouted Zoro. He knew the captain was right, but he couldn't control himself. Luffy wouldn't have run; Luffy would have come back even if he was cut in two.

"Heck no! Not in that condition!" shouted back the captain. The boy didn't sound worried at all. Nor did his frail appearance make him any less threatening. The injured boy looked anything but pathetic, covered in blood and lying face down in the dust.

"I'll be ok Zoro. I'll wait for you to come back like the strong swordsman I know so well." The boy looked up and grinned. Then his focus turned from Zoro to another general making his way down the slope.

Zoro stopped. He would obey his captain and retreat for now, but would return as soon as he had the strength needed to free his captain. What a fool he had been to come back here and cause his captain trouble.

"Wait for me Luffy! I will return and get you out of this mess!"

Zoro turned to run, but to his surprise, he fell to his knees. He felt a searing pain in his stomach where he had been injured. It seemed that the will he had to escape wasn't nearly as strong as the energy he had had to rescue his captain and the energy he had created from nothing vanished as quickly as it had come.

"Dang it" Zoro heard the general running behind him and turned to face his opponent. He knew Luffy would not be able to re-summon his energy either. What Luffy had done earlier was a miracle in itself. Now he had to rely on himself alone. He drew the sword in front of him, but felt his arms shake by merely grasping it. This wouldn't be good.

Canan frowned in disgust. Why were these marines causing him so much trouble, now that he was needed most? He felt weaker than he had at the beginning of the battle, but for some reason he couldn't move as quickly as before. He was pretty sure he had blocked all of the darts that had been shot in his direction, but his left side wouldn't move like the rest of him. He took a second to look down and see if there was a problem, and he was shocked to find that he was bleeding from his side and had left a small puddle of blood on the ground he stood upon.

"Dang" he muttered and grabbed the wound. He hadn't even noticed, but it mattered not, it wasn't deadly, and there were more important things to focus on. He returned his focus to getting to the injured swordsman ahead.

Zoro braced himself for the attack, but once again, he was spared. This time that man had been shot in the chest by an unseen marksman. The man dropped to the ground then the general holding Luffy was shot in the arm.

"Where are these coming from!?" shouted a by standing marine.

The president seemed to growl and stomped over to the net that held Luffy and took it into his own hands. He then began to drag the captain towards the cell. Luffy tried to grab onto something but found that all he could do was lay there and let what was happening happen.

A shot rang out across the battle field, and hit the president in his shoulder, but the man appeared unaffected. Another shot followed but to the same affect. The president seemed to laugh then turned to Sky, who had been waiting for the right moment to reveal himself.

"Get the swordsman" said the president through his mask. Then the man continued to drag Luffy toward the cell.

Sky's eyes widened, then returned to their usual calm state. The president had practically given him a death sentence.

"Yes sir"

Zoro could barely drag himself down the hill and saw a dozen or more marines making their way towards him. They were a bit hesitant because of the invisible protection he had from his snipers, but they wouldn't be held off much longer.

Suddenly he heard Sky running at him and turned to face yet another opponent, hoping that he would fail to reach him just like the others, but the boy was unharmed in his decent.

Sky grabbed his whip from his belt and snapped it behind him. His expression was stern and focused as he charged the green haired man before him.

Zoro, once again, braced himself for the attack with his sword drawn out before him. He was still on his knees and knew he was in no position to do battle. What had he been thinking, running up here like that? He recognized the teen running at him. It was the same person who had caught him with that blasted whip. Now he was back to recapture him.

The boy cracked his whip and charged head on into Zoro who thrust his sword forward. Everything seemed to slow down as Zoro realized what had just happened. His eyes turned upward to see Sky looking upon him with an expression he hadn't expected. His eyes were wide and haunting as they looked down at him, one seeing the other not. The sides of the boy's mouth curled into a small grin and Zoro looked down to see his sword pierced right through Sky's abdomen. He didn't understand. What had just happened? The boy could have easily evaded that attack, and he was grinning.

Suddenly he heard the snap of Sky's whip and felt a terrible sting around his stomach. He looked down and saw that the general's whip had encircled his body. His eyes widened as the Sky leaned down and whispered in his ear "I guess you've won." The boy's voice sent chills down Zoro's back, then the whip constricted around his waist and he let out a gasp. Sky let out a rasped yell and Zoro felt the whip yank him from his kneeling position into the air. He felt his wounds re-open and for a second wondered if this was another attack, but he felt the whip loosen from his waist and then he was sent flying through the air, away from his captain. Zoro braced himself for the ground but was caught by Canan who seemed to have not noticed him. The elite was staring up at Sky in shock and horror. It was then that it all clicked. That general had been on their side the entire time, as well as this marine.

"I… I'm so sorry" he gasped as he tried to keep conscious.

Canan looked down at him kindly. "It was his choice to take that blow, not yours. You have nothing to apologize for, but I must insist you rejoin your crew like a sane person." Zoro nodded and for a second tried to stand, but the marine held him fast.

"You cover a lot more ground when you're tossed."

"Huh?"

With that the marine threw Zoro with amazing force towards Sanji who had attempted to chase Zoro down, but had come short. The cook had been panting fro breath with head down and for a second Zoro thought he would hit the blonde before he even knew he was coming but, to his relief, Sanji raised his head just in time. The cook was caught off guard and his eyes widened in surprise, then Zoro smacked right into him, causing them to skid a couple feet across the ground.

"#!# Marimo!!" shouted Sanji as he tried to get Zoro off of him, but it seemed the swordsman had lost consciousness.

The cook sighed, and with great effort pushed his crewmate off of him. He ached all over, but knew he had to get out quickly; for Luffy's sake. So the blonde stood up and hauled Zoro back on his back. It would be a lot harder to carry him without the sheets he had used before, but it couldn't be helped.

Sanji's legs shook a little under the weight but he ignored their protests against him. Then the cook took off at a slow jog, for it was all he could do in his condition.

"Luffy!" shouted Usopp as he continued to shoot at the president without success. The bullets seemed to just bounce off.

"Shut up!" growled Paul "do you want to give away our position? Your crew still needs us."

The marine grimaced in anger as he saw Sky standing right where he had been when he had thrown Zoro. Why would Sky do something so careless? How could this have happened?

Canan made his way as fast as he could toward his friend. Sky's cloak flew up revealing a black turtleneck shirt and the bullet belt around his waist. One couldn't see the blood flowing from his stomach, but the sword remained where it had been lodged and there was a liquidy shine around the wound. The general reached his arm back and grabbed the long black rifle on his back, then turned toward the president who had already made it into the cell with Luffy. He then raised the butt of the gun to his shoulder and took aim. His arms didn't sway or shake, and he kept both eyes open (since he couldn't see out of one anyway). Then he fired and the gun let out a deafening roar across the plane. The bullet hit the president directly in the back of the head and for a moment he paused, then he turned.

"I won't die that easily general" spoke the president in a mocking tone.

Sky's eyes widened and he lowered his gun. He then reached to get another bullet from his belt but his arm hit the sword still protruding out of him. The boy let out a scream in pain and fell to his knees. His hands were shaking now as he pulled out a bullet from the belt and re-loaded his rifle, but as he lifted it a hand was placed on the barrel of the gun. He looked over to see Canan standing there. He didn't know how to read his friends expression. It was one he had only seen on rare occasions.

Sky's vision became blurred and he felt himself fall back, but was caught by Canan's strong arm.

"I'm gonna get this sword out of you, so get ready" stated Canan quietly.

Sky dared not look down at the wound, so he turned his head to see what was going on around them. The fighting had died down, and the ground was scattered with bodies of his fellow marines. Bullets were still flying, but most of the marines had run for cover once they realized that they were getting picked off from a distance. He smiled then gasped as he felt the sword move from its lodging. The boy's chest then lurched and his head jerked back as he tried to endure the sword sliding back through the injured ribs it had pierced.

Canan held him down until he had removed the blade and cast it aside, then removed his jacket to cover the wound and stop the bleeding.

"Well, that could've gone better" Sky panted, then winced at the pressure put on his ribs.

"Yeah, your crazy Sky, I hope you know that. Stay with me though. If you're gone I might get promoted to your spot and you wouldn't like that."

Sky snickered, then coughed up blood.

"Like I'd let that happen" he responded.

Canan smiled then looked up to see how much progress had been made by the crew. He chuckled "seems they've made it past the checkpoint. They're a speedy group of pirates considering their condition."

"I guess that means you're stuck here with me" muttered Sky.

"Seems so" replied Canan almost happily.

"Shall we then?" asked Sky as he pulled out of his jacket the detonator.

"You bet" said Canan as he took Sky's hand, and together they pressed the button.

Nami was relieved to see that Sanji had covered quite a bit of ground and had almost caught up with her and Robin. Only a few marines pursued them now, for the others had abandoned the chase in fear of being shot. Robin had begun to support herself again and was a lot easier to run with, but Nami felt no relief. She had almost followed Zoro to save Luffy, and to abandon him hurt almost like a physical wound even though she knew it was the wisest decision at the moment.

Suddenly there was an enormous explosion behind them that separated them from the marines on the rocks. The men following them were engulfed in flames and a huge smokescreen covered them from view.

Sanji coughed as the smoke covered them and thought it humorous that he would cough on smoke. He then looked up to see a figure running at them from the woods, and when it came upon them he saw it was Usopp.

"Man Usopp, am I glad to see you! I knew that was you taking out all of those marines for us."

Usopp was covered in gunpowder and his goggles shielded his eyes from the smoke. He looked pretty weird, even for Usopp.

"Well what did you expect!?"

Sanji smiled. It was good to see one of his nakama in good spirits and unharmed.

"I'll take Zoro. We have to get out of here fast, before they spot us" said Usopp as he took the swordsman from Sanji.

To be continued…

Yeah, that was a horrible ending. Not cause it was a cliffhanger, just cause it kinda just ends… I hope u enjoyed this chapter and please leave a review! They make me happy. I dunno when the next chapt will be out, but u know me. I'm so fast at updating…. Yeeaahhh, just be patient!


	13. Preconfinement

The interior of the marine base was dark and damp. It consisted of underground tunnels lined with steel doors without windows. Every once and a while there was a barred cell and the only lights were the small bulbs on the ceiling connected by an extension cord throughout the base.

Luffy returned to consciousness when he felt his face splash through a puddle on the dirty floor on which he was being dragged. He had apparently passed out once he had entered the tunnel of the base for reasons he didn't know. As he looked around he couldn't remember a drearier place he had ever been in. Water dripped on his face from the ceiling and as he was dragged down the hall he saw large vents every couple yards.

The captain tried to speak but couldn't find his voice so he continued to just observe his surroundings. Maybe if he remembered the passages he would remember how to get out of the prison.

Then the president stopped at one of the doors and grabbed a key from his pocked. Luffy found he could only move his head to see what was going on around him. He hadn't seen a single marine since they entered the dark hallway. This made the boy uneasy, and the fact that he couldn't see the presidents face made him figure that the man was hideous under the gas mask.

The door was opened and Luffy was dragged into a room with more lights, but just as dreary. The walls had no paint on them and there were two tables. He could guess which one he would be on because one had leather straps molded into the table and the other was a desk covered with papers. There was a man standing in wait for them with very pale skin but a pretty normal face. Luffy had expected some torture devices or odd looking potions to be lining the wall, but the tables and a few chairs were all that could be seen.

The president lifted the net with Luffy in it and put him on the table like luggage, but not roughly.

"Get him suited for detainment and once your done put him in chamber 15" was all he said, then he left Luffy in the room with the white suited man.

Luffy glanced over at the man with unease "who are you? What do you want from me?" he managed out. It seemed his voice had returned for the moment.

The man looked over and smiled as if he was a doctor and Luffy was his patient. "My name is Dr. Ackens. I don't know how much I am allowed to tell you, so please just cooperate with me for now."

"Like heck I'm going to cooperate! I saw what you did to my nakama!"

"They received their injuries in battle" Mr. Ackens replied as he opened his drawer

"That's a lie. I heard Robin." Luffy already disliked the man.

"Believe what you want" replied the man loosing his smile.

Luffy glared at him and started to squirm with the net. No one was holding it closed any more and if he could just slip out he might be able to break out of the room and then escape.

"Don't bother" said the Dr. as he walked over the Luffy, who glared at him.

Then the man grabbed the net and pulled it off of Luffy who jumped up immediately and ran to the door. Stretching his arm back he slammed it into the door, but to his surprise the door was unharmed and he felt a great surge of weakness take over his body.

"What's this?!" he said in shock. He then turned to his other option and slammed his fist into the wall, receiving the same reaction.

"Dang" he said, annoyed at this hindrance. He then turned to face Dr. Ackens, who had been watching him with almost curiosity.

"Are you done yet?" he asked calmly.

Luffy glared at him "no". He then lunged at the doctor and pinned him up against the wall with his bleeding arm.

"Look, either you tell me how to get out of here, or I'll use you to break down these walls. Heh" the boy grinned "as long as I don't touch the seastone, I can do whatever I want."

Dr. Ackens made no expression, which agitated Luffy.

Suddenly Luffy felt himself loose his grip on the doctor and drop to the floor. He could still feel the cool ground he was on, and he could still see, but it seemed that he couldn't work his body at all.

"What the?" he gasped out, and then lost his voice entirely.

The man smiled kindly as he had before then bent down beside the paralyzed boy, removing a small needle from Luffy's arm.

"Seems you were already numb so you didn't feel the prick" he jerked the needle to represent the prick "of this lil bugger."

Luffy could only lay there as the man put the needle back in its drawer and return to him. The man bent down and picked Luffy up, then placed him on the table with the arm bands on it but didn't tie him down.

"Now, I won't fasten you to this table if you behave" he said and then he turned and walked to the door. Pressing a combination of numbers into the security device, he unlocked the door and walked out of the room, leaving Luffy alone on the table. He returned a few minutes later with a pan of water and two washcloths. "Gotta get you cleaned up here" he said as he placed the bowl on the table then turned to Luffy. He then leaned Luffy forward and removed his shirt. "This thing is filthy" he said as he lifted the red top with disgust, and then tossed it to the side. Luffy was glad that he didn't take off his pants; this was disrespectful enough. The man then dipped the washcloth in the water and started to wash off the dirt and dust covering Luffy's chest and back. He had to rinse off the washcloth ever few seconds because of all the filth that would build up. He washed off the boy's face and neck, then he came to Luffy's injured arm. "Oh, that looks like a horrible injury on your arm. Let me fix that up for you." The doctor put the pan and washcloths on the floor, not bothering to dry off his patient.

Luffy's eyes followed him as he walked over to his desk. He pulled out of one of the larger drawers some bandages, some cleansers, a needle and thread, and lastly, an item Luffy doubted would help his arm. The man had taken out a long tube about an inch and a half thick. He left it on the table and walked over with the cleansers and bandages. Luffy watched without expression on his face (he couldn't make one) as the man drew out his arm till it lay limply outstretched before him. It hurt terribly but he knew he needed it to be fixed up, and he had abused it enough already. He hadn't expected the marines to take care of it.

"My word, you've really messed this one up. You made sure that my job isn't easy didn't you?"

Luffy just looked at his arm as the man began to remove the small rocks that had been embedded in his wounds, then began to dab the wound with the cleanser.

Once he had finished stitching the injury closed he wrapped the arm in the bandages, then returned it to Luffy's side.

"See, we're already halfway done. Just one more thing and you'll be ready to go."

Dr. Ackens placed the medical supplies back into the drawer, then grabbed the tube with a small odd bag that was pumped up and had a lid on it.

Luffy's eyes followed the doctor once again as he returned to the boy's side.

"Now just relax as we get this over with, ok?"

Luffy loathed how the man spoke as if he was cooperating with him.

* * *

"You guys go on ahead" said Paul after the small group had entered the woods "I'll stay behind and make sure no ones trailing us."

Usopp nodded and the crew rushed off as fast as they could into the woods. Thankfully, they had Nami to direct them in which direction to take. So she led the way, with Robin using her for support. Her ankle had swollen to an unpleasant size, but she trusted Chopper could take care of it once they got back.

"I can take Robin" said Sanji happily. Now that Usopp had Zoro, he could take care of the ladies, and he was feeling better as well. Taking Robin's hand he gently picked her up in his arms and continued through the woods. The group was hidden under the protection of the woods and would continue their escape without obstacles.

* * *

The doctor set the instruments on the table beside the captain, and then reached towards Luffy's face. He then cocked the boy's head back and easily forced Luffy's mouth open to where it was left agape. One could see the uneasiness in the raven haired boy's eyes as the man reached for the tube.

Placing his hand on Luffy's jaw, the man took the tube and pushed it into the boy's mouth, then began to force it down his throat. Luffy's body's natural reaction was to begin to choke up, even if he couldn't move himself, and his upper body jerked a bit under the man's grip as a puking noise came from his throat. The man continued to push the long tube down Luffy's throat slowly and mercilessly as his unlucky patient's body squirmed under his strong grip.

"It's alright" Dr. Ackens said on the side as he slid the pipe further down the boy's esophagus, focusing on his work.

If there was ever a time Luffy wanted to bite someone, it would have been now, and he would have bitten the doctor's hand clean off, but he didn't feel a single part of his body that would move for him, though he could feel everything so evidently. His body seemed to have betrayed him, so he was forced to suffer under the doctor's hand.

Finally the man had fitted as much of the tube down the captain's throat as he felt was needed and he let go of Luffy's jaw. The boy was left lying on the table with his head tilted back and a tube sticking out of his open mouth. His eyes (the only part of his body he could use) were shut tightly as his body switched from breathing out of his throat to breathing out of the tube which made a hollow noise every time he inhaled.

"We're almost done" said Dr. Ackens as he picked up the small bag on the table and pulled what looked like a clear plastic mouth cover out of his pocket. It had a small hole in the center of it a little bigger than the tube with rubber encircling it. The doctor slid it on to the tube, and Luffy's throat made another vomiting noise as the pipe was shifted.

"Come on, don't be a baby" said Dr. Ackens as if he were talking to a child. He then pushed the clear mouth cover down the tube till it covered both Luffy's mouth, as well as his nose, making it impossible to breath with anything but the tube.

The captain left his eye's completely shut, trying to block out all that was going on. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he realized his life was in this man's hands. All Dr. Ackens needed to do was to cover up the tube and Luffy would suffocate.

"Come now, don't look so worried" Dr. Ackens said with a bit of humor in his voice. Luffy's breathing had become a lot harder and the tube's hollow noises became louder.

"Almost finished" the doctor said kindly as he raised the bag before him. It was about two feet long and one foot wide, swollen and full of something. He unscrewed the lid but nothing came out; for there was some sort of seal on top of it. He then shoved the small opening on to the top of the tube and it fit like a glove. The seal opened up and a green gas could be seen seeping into the pipe.

"Now, you're going to have a moment of discomfort, but don't worry. Everything is under control."

The captain's eyes shot open as he realized that the oxygen he had been breathing had gone away and had been replaced with whatever substance was in the bag. Then the gas entered his body which lurched in pain as it began to reject the unknown substance that had entered it. The gas filled the boy's lungs having nowhere else to go, causing Luffy excruciating pain. He would have preferred to be strangled than to have the toxic gas enter his body, but he clearly had no choice in the matter.

"What you are feeling are the particles floating in this interesting gas that have a very unique effect to a devil-fruit user's body. This will make you react differently to the gases within the cells and the hallways. I'm sure you noticed the vents lining the walls. Well, they emit the gases that will affect your lungs if you have this thing called "Pindum" (which we are having pumped into you) in them" Dr. Ackens informed him, though it seemed the boy hadn't even heard what he said.

Luffy tried to take another breath, only to inhale more of the Pindum into his lungs. His eyes rolled back in his head as he felt like his lungs were being compressed inside of him. Not only was he taking in the gas, but he was also suffocating because of the lack of oxygen. His chest rose off of the table as his lungs began to scream for air and as they burned from the inside out.

"Those are the particles entering your lungs, and if things go as usual, they should stick in there for good after a while" said the doctor without any sign of pity for the boy suffocating before him.

Foam was now coming out of Luffy's open mouth and his body had begun to convulse uncontrollably.

"Oop, can't have you dying on us Straw Hat. You're an important subject for us to be taking care of" said the doctor lightly as he popped the gas bag off of the tube.

The dark haired boy gasped for air. The tube slowed the intake of oxygen and his lungs struggled to get the amount needed to function correctly. His body shuddered and his eyes remained rolled back into his head. The pain had only subsided slightly and still burned like acid in his lungs.

"Ok ok, the boss wants this to be fast, so let's get this over with shall we?" Dr. Ackens returned the bag to the tube, but this time gave it a tight squeeze, sending the gas shooting out of the bag and through the tube.

"This should speed up the process a bit" he said kindly. "Otherwise we might have to sit here another hour or two till you inhale all the Pindum needed to work."

Luffy's whole body reacted to being pumped full of the toxin. So much had been pumped into him that he could feel his lungs actually expand as they were filled with the burning gas. He began jerk violently as his body tried to reject the particles in the lungs, but there was no getting rid of them. The boy made a sickening noise from his throat and puke seeped from the corners of his mouth.

"Hey, if you keep jerking around I might be forced to tie you to the table kid" said the doctor as he gave the bag another squeeze.

With that, Luffy's body went limp. It apparently couldn't take any more abuse and lacked the strength to even react on impulse. The boy's eyes returned to their sockets but were glazed over; unseeing. He resumed his obedient stillness with his mouth agape and his head tilted back.

"There we go. That's much better" Dr. Ackens stated with a smile as he forced the last of what was in the bag into the unconscious Luffy's body, which merely shuttered.

* * *

Chopper had heard quite a bit of noise from his room in the ship, but knew that if he tried to go help his crew he would just be a hindrance to them since he was so weak at the moment. He feared most for Robin and Luffy since the smell of seastone was so strong. The little reindeer got up from his messy bed covered with papers and books, and grabbed one of his Rumble balls. Taking a bite he changed into his regular reindeer form and walked on all fours out to the deck. The ruckus had turned silent a few hours earlier and he was beginning to get worried, and lonely to boot.

Suddenly he heard a rustling in the bushes and scurried behind a barrel to hide. He was relieved to see Nami's ginger hair pop out of the brush, followed by Sanji carrying Robin, then Usopp supporting Zoro. His relief was not long lived when he saw the condition that Zoro was in.

"What on earth happened?!" asked the little reindeer as he transformed to his human form and ran over to help get the injured on board.

"It's a long story" said Nami as she sat down, exhausted, onto the deck.

Usopp gave Zoro over the Chopper, but didn't get on board the ship. "Nami, I know I'm the usual storyteller, but I have to go back and make sure Paul is ok."

Nami looked down at him and nodded.

Usopp left the Merry and returned to the forest in search for his new friend. After a few minutes of searching he heard a noise nearby and followed it till he came to a small clearing. There was a small spring flowing at the edge of it and the ground was worn down by human footsteps. Sitting by the stream sat Paul, alone with his knees drawn up to his chest. Usopp walked over and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. Paul looked up at him and for a moment Usopp could see the remnants of tears under his eyes, but the Commander quickly turned away and wiped his eyes as if he had some dirt in them.

Usopp looked away. No real victory had taken place that day, and many sacrifices had been made to secure their safety.

"Paul, it's ok to weep for fallen comrades, but don't shed tears as if all is lost. There is still much to be done, and many thing need to be put right. You helped us rescue our comrades, and it is only fair for us to do the same for you and your comrades."

Paul turned to him and his expression changed to its usual calm self.

"Of course."

To be continued…

That was pretty quick if I do say so myself. Its mainly thanks to LuffysAngel. He/She gave me a big load of encouragement to keep this up (and bribed me with cookies)… so yeah, thank him/her for the quick update. I wus a lil… ok, very mean to Luffy in this chapter and you will soon find I am a cruel person to my fav characters… im just weird like that…and if theres something scientifically incorrect in there.. sorry, I'm no doctor. But hey! The crew made it back to the Merry! There's something to be happy about. So yeah, R&R and I'll prob update faster! Oh, and the next chapt might be a song fic… so ill probably recommend u listen to a song while reading it.


	14. The President

There weren't enough beds on the Merry to put the seriously injured, so Robin and Sanji laid on the floor. Chopper was rushing around in a frenzy, patching up the one who needed the most attention, Zoro. He had been stabbed several times in the gut during his clash with the marines before they had been captured. His wounds had been re-opened when he was thrown by Sky and he had lost a lot of blood.

Chopper had taken the bad news as well as any of the others would have and had soon gotten over the grief and began working on his patient as quickly as he could. Nami's ankle was in terrible condition since she had over-worked it in their escape, so she sat in her navigation room holding it with a bag of ice.

As she sat there she thought back to how, only the day before last, Luffy had come sneaking up on her and caught here talking to herself. He had already sacrificed so much for them; for her. This would be the first time they would go to save one of their nakama without his determination and fearlessness to back them up. She let out a sigh. This could possibly turn out to be the hardest battle fought by the crew, but it had to be done, no question.

Paul stood from where he had been and turned to Usopp, who had been waiting patiently for him.

"Let's go" he said as he passed the marksman.

The two left the clearing and Paul followed Usopp as they made their way to the Merry.

"Paul, how did you come to be friends with those two? I can't find anything you have in common with them. You all have different ranks in the marines, your personalities are conflicting, but you all seem to have some connection that causes you to trust one another."

Paul smiled "it's a long story, but we have time, so I'll tell you.

This base used to be a regular marine base and only became what it is today a year or two ago. Back then its main purpose was to hold devil fruit users who had disobeyed the law, not to experiment on them. However, when the President was sent here from the Higher Ups, we began to conduct experimentation on the prisoners, and several died, but that is another story. Canan was the first one to serve at this base, back when it was just a prison. He was almost immediately moved up to an elite because of his sheer will to succeed. He practiced on his own time back where we just were and soon became a dangerous fighter. However, he was never moved into an official commanding position because he had a way of giving orders by his own standards rather than the governments. In other words, he wasn't trusted to do as he was told, so he was never given a higher rank. Nevertheless, he continued to improve, and that's when I came in. I was only 13 when I came here, and he had earned the respect of everyone in his division. I was only a private, and I wasn't much of a marine. I didn't talk to anyone in my division, I didn't push myself to higher levels, and I didn't really care about justice. I just did what I was told and didn't think for myself. That is, till he came into the picture. He reached out to me even though, at first, I hated his guts. Eventually, after several turn of events, he managed to change my perspectives on things. I found a reason to live and a reason to reach for higher levels, and so, with the help of Canan's leadership, I improved. However, I was different than he was. I preferred to be a bit more obedient to the authorities, and sacrifice my own will in order to gain their favor. Canan never argued with the way I acted, but we talked about it several times, and sometimes, when I ended up doing something I didn't agree with I would just go rant to him and he would listen. He's more like a father to me than a friend, though he acts a bit childish, he's far wiser than either of us."

"So when does Sky come into the picture?" Usopp asked, very much engrossed in the marine's story.

"Ah, Sky…" Paul began, but grew silent as they came upon the Merry Go. Though Usopp wanted nothing more than to plan for his captain's rescue, he was a little disappointed to not be able to hear Sky's side of the story. He hoped that he would be able to hear the rest of it once they were all safe and together.

Luffy awoke in the same place he had been before. The tube was gone to his relief and the pain had subsided. His wrists were cuffed in seastone cuffs, but beside that he was unrestrained. He sat up in a daze and grabbed his chest. It ached terribly, and he knew that whatever had been pumped into him couldn't have been good for his lungs.

"Ah, good to see you've come to" he heard the voice of Dr. Ackens from behind him and Luffy's head turned to reveal a horrible glare.

"Oh don't look at me like that" said the doctor calmly.

Luffy got up and walked over to the man who had caused his suffering just a short while earlier.

"Who do you think you are?" Luffy growled, and for a second, he sensed fear in the doctor's eyes, but it had vanished in a second.

"Don't bother kid, you're cuffed with seastone cuffs and you won't be able to use your devil fruit ability anymore. Just sit back down and wait for your escorts."

"You think these things can stop me?" Luffy growled, then he swung his bound hands back, and brought the thick handcuffs right into the doctor's cheek. For the first time since Luffy had arrived there the man's face was in complete shock. The man skidded across the floor and stopped when he came to the wall. Shaking he brought himself to his hands and wiped his bleeding mouth.

"How dare you!?" he panted, then grabbed a button from his pocked and smashed it down. Luffy walked over to him, and the man looked up in anger. His face was a mess, and his white coat had blood spatters on it.

"You may be able to paralyze me, or take away my strength, but I will never cooperate with you freaks here! You will never break me or keep me from being the king of the pirates. Remember that" Luffy said harshly, then he spit at the man's feet.

A second later the room was filled with marines and Luffy was pinned to the floor. The president walked in and told them to take Luffy to chamber 15. As he was lead out he heard Dr. Ackens yelling at the president.

"Why didn't you tell me his strength wasn't because of his abilities!? How was I supposed to know? I mean look at him! He's scrawny!"

Luffy smiled and continued down the hallway.

Paul and Usopp explained their side of the story to the rest of the crew once Zoro had regained consciousness, and once everyone was clear on all that had happened, they began to discuss their options of what to do next.

Paul put his hands together and slouched over. His face was stern as he thought through what would be the best decision for the small group.

"You're all in a difficult position, and right now, your choices are few. We have no knowledge of where your captain is being held or how much they know about us. Luckily, I know a bit of information already, so we aren't at a complete loss. However, I must admit that the wisest decision would be to escape now. To have you abandon your captain would be better than him seeing you killed before his eyes, and considering the situation, your chances of rescuing your captain are terribly slim-"

"We will never leave our captain! It will be either victory or death!" Zoro interrupted. His voice was rasped and furious but his face was stern. "To even consider abandoning our captain is absurd and out of the question!"

"Zoro!" Nami shouted "you may be the first mate, but we all get a fair say in what we plan on doing!"

Luffy was taken to his chamber expecting a cold damp cell but, to his surprise, they opened up the steel door reveal a normal bed, a sink, and a table. There was a hole in the corner he supposed he was to use as a toilet.

The men took off his cuffs and shoved him in the room, locking the door behind them. Luffy was relieved to be able to move around normally again. He felt his strength returning and walked over to the sink. It was dirty, but when he turned the knobs clean water came out. He splashed his face and washed his mouth out since it tasted of puke.

"What's with this place?" he asked himself aloud.

There was a lamp on the table which was on when he had come in. He walked over to the bed and tested it out. It wasn't very soft, but it was better than nothing. He wished he had his hat with him and he growled. The marines must have taken it.

"The jerks, they don't need it" he mumbled to himself again.

Suddenly, the vents he had seen on the ceiling opened up and green gas seeped out slowly. Luffy frowned and backed away from the odd gas till he came to the opposite wall. The gas filled the room and when he could hold his breath no longer he had no choice but to breathe in the fumes. His lungs burned and he grabbed his chest in pain. He used the wall to support himself then slid to the floor. He was glad that he could still move, but he didn't have the strength to get back up or use his arms.

The door opened and the president walked in, looked around, then spotted Luffy against the wall. He closed the door and took a step towards the captain, who glared at him.

"What do you want with me?" Luffy asked in an authoritative tone.

The president took another step toward the boy "we have a goal in this facility, and we need you to reach that objective. We know some things about you that make you special for our research."

Luffy grinned "you will never break me and I will never cooperate with you people, understand?"

"Ah, as expected from the great Straw Hat. You see Luffy, I knew that you would never bend, and that trying to break your will would be futile" he replied.

Luffy cocked his eyebrow.

"Maybe this will lighten things up a bit" said the president grabbing his mask.

The captain's eyes widened as the president removed the mask from his face revealing that the "he" was actually a "she". Behind the mask was a beautiful woman with dark hair and red lips. She smiled haughtily "surprised to see me Luffy?"

"Well, I'm surprised you're a woman" he responded with a shocked look on his face.

"Don't you recognize me boy?" she asked, a little agitated.

"Eh?" Luffy cocked his head.

"It's me! I was the first pirate you met once you started out on your journey. Back when you were considered a small fry. How could you forget a face like this?" she leaned toward him and pointed toward her face.

"Oh yeah! You were that fat chick, but when I saw you again, you were hot… and slippery! Is that why those bullets didn't affect you?" Luffy asked, obviously curious to how it all fit together.

"Now you're catching on. It's me, the beautiful Alvida!"

"Why do you keep that mask on then? I would have guessed that you were some hideous man the way you kept it on all the time."

She stood to her full height and smiled. "Luffy, do you really think that is important to you at the moment? You should be asking about why you're here."

"I did. Hey, aren't you a pirate!? Why are you in here working for marines?"

Alvida scowled at Luffy ignoring her statement. "I've lost interest in piracy. Turns out marines are their own species of pirates as well. Their just as fowl and dirty, but their crimes a hidden, and as a marine, I have the freedom to do as I please without judgment."

Luffy glared at her. "So you've betrayed what it is to be a pirate for your own gain. Where is your honor you piece of crap?" he spit at her feet.

Alvida looked down at him in disgust. "Naïve boy, honor is useless in this world. It will only cause you to make unnecessary sacrifices. You should know; your honor is what got you into this mess. If you had just done what was best for yourself, you would be a free man right now" she bent down and put her hand on Luffy's cheek "but I knew you would come. I knew that your ignorance would lead to your downfall. This "honor" of yours, in the end, was worthless to you."

Luffy's face became stern and calm. His eyes seemed to gaze right through her. As if she wasn't even there. "Honor might be the reason I'm in this mess, but I can bet that when the day comes that you meet your grave, you will realize that living without love, or kindness was the real loss; your true downfall. I would rather die, knowing I did what was needed to get done, than live the life of a king without honor. If you look at it that way, I've already won against you and your marine dogs." Luffy grinned and returned his focus to the enraged woman crouched down beside him. She slapped him across the face and stood up.

"You may want to take back those words once we're through with you Mugiwara!" and with that she returned the mask to her face and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Luffy's hair covered his eyes, but a small grin could be seen on his face. His crew would be back for him soon.

To be continued…

Wooo! New chapter. Didn't take me too long! Now u know who the president is! But theres more to come so please leave reviews. That's what keeps me going! And no, I haven't forgotten about Buggy (lil spoiler).


	15. The Day Passes

The Day Passes

Sky opened his eyes slowly, but didn't move. He was sure it was neither Heaven nor Hell, and he recognized the room from somewhere. Ah, that was it. It was a cell from the above ground prison. A light shown through the window, so he figured he hadn't been out too long. Either that or he'd been unconscious for at least a day. He refused to believe that. He wasn't that weak.

The boy didn't bother to move. He didn't see much reason to in the first place, and he knew it would just cause him pain, or worse, his wounds would re-open. So he just lay there, wondering what had become of the others. Canan would be in a lot more trouble than he was, since he had probably taken several marine's lives. He on the other hand, hadn't done anything that could officially be considered "traitorous acts". Why was he in a cell anyway? Perhaps they had tortured the others who had been in on the rescue mission, but who would talk? Had the rescue attempt failed? Had the pirates ratted him out? The only one he could remember being captured was the captain, but the president had his own plans for the captain, and the boy didn't seem like the type to bend under questioning. There was just something about him… Sky felt himself falling back into unconsciousness, and figured it best to take things as they came. He would find out what had happened soon enough.

Canan had been taken to an underground cell; he knew that much. His was cold and dreary but he had expected as much considering the fact that he was now a traitor and he would not be expecting any fine treatment. They hadn't even looked at his left side so he pulled up his shirt to check the injury. It wasn't a deep wound to his relief and he looked around to see if there was anything to clean it up with. There was a sink at least, so he ripped some of the dirty sheets from the small bed into strands and began to rinse them off. He then wrapped it around his waist and tied it so it kept the wound wrapped tight.

"I'm in a real mess aren't I?" he mumbled to himself as he sat down on the flat mattress. He then began to think through the situation, as well as wonder what had happened to his friends. He would have appreciated it if he could see Sky to be sure he was ok, but he knew that wouldn't be happening any time soon. At least Sky hadn't done anything truly wrong. Maybe he would be off the hook for now.

He let down his hair from its pony tail and it fell down to one side of his face. He didn't know what was going to become of him, but he felt hopeful in his gut. He sensed that he would be free soon.

Luffy leaned as close to the door as he could without actually touching the sea stone. He was eavesdropping on the guards standing outside of his room as they discussed what had just occurred. Most of what they said bored him, but he had hoped to catch some hints of what had become of his nakama.

"Its kind of sad" said the one on the left. "I heard from the watchman that they actually left him here."

Luffy blinked in shock, then figured that he had either misunderstood him, or the marine was lying. He leaned closer but quickly found himself collapsed on the ground. 'Dang, got too close to the door' he growled to himself.

"Did you hear something?" one of them asked.

"It's probably the captain messing around in there, but I doubt he's up to anything. There's not much he can do to escape from there anyway."

"Yeah" the other one grunted in agreement.

"So you're saying that he actually saw the ship sailing away?"

"Yep, I heard we were gonna chase it down, but the president said we had what we needed and that they were of no further value. So they managed to escape at the cost of their captain. I guess there's no honor among thieves ay?"

"I dunno, Mugiwara was pretty admirable considering the fact that he came back and traded his life for there's."

"He didn't know he was going to be caught, but your right."

The conversation continued but Luffy's mind had wondered from it after he had confirmed what they had said. He crawled over to his bed and leaned against it for support, holding his head in his hands. He didn't know what to think. Was he to believe what the marines had just said, or to just ignore it and wait for his crew's return? Despite his strong belief that his crew would never abandon him, he couldn't help but ask himself 'is it better this way? Should I be glad that they got away to follow their dreams? But what about my dreams? Zoro promised me he would come back and get me? No, Zoro would not break his promise.' Despite Luffy's ability to argue against their actions, he had his doubts.

Usopp watched the island fade into the distance with sick feeling. Leaving a friend captive on an island would be a first, and he hated to do it, but the odds were just too uneven as they were. Nami had charted the island on her map, and even copied it to another. They weren't going to loose track of where that island was. It was a bright day, and he wondered why the marines hadn't spotted them, and if they had, why they didn't chase them.

Robin sat in the crows nest, surrounded by books. She was hardly keeping watch out as she dug through her research. She needn't take notes, for she had long since been able to memorize everything she read.

The tiny island finally disappeared and the small crew waited uncomfortably to reach their destination.

The day went by without any changes. Luffy sat in his room, impatiently wondering what had become of his crew members. Every once and a while he would return to the door to listen in on the conversation, but found himself constantly bored by their marine discussion. What they had eaten that day, where the bullets had been coming from during the battle. Stuff he really couldn't find entertaining.

'I'm so glad I'm not a marine' he thought to himself as he walked away from the door. Suddenly the vents in his room opened and gas filled the room. He held his breath as long as he could, knowing what was coming next, but he soon had to breathe. His lungs burned painfully and he tried to get to the wall for support, but before he could, he collapsed, banging his head against the table.

"Dang" he muttered, wanting to hold his throbbing head, but unable to move his arm.

Once again, he could move his head, but he was forced to lay there as the door opened and a marine stepped in with a tray in his hands. The food looked very delicious, and though there was a lot there, but it would take a lot more to satisfy his appetite.

"And how is our patient today?" he asked sarcastically. His tone sounded hateful and Luffy immediately felt a strong dislike towards the man.

"Why don't you slide the food under the door rather than paralyzing me?" he asked agitated.

"Because we aren't restricted from using it, and I like seeing prideful brats put in their place. You really thought you could barge in here and take what you wanted?"

"I came here to take back my nakama; MY nakama."

"You are a pirate, don't try and convince me that you're doing the right thing. Anyone who takes on that name marks themselves as lying thieves. Don't tell me you call yourself a pirate, and then tell me you want to do the right thing. So either you're a liar or a hypocrite, either way, you're scum."

Luffy didn't bother replying. He figured the man wasn't worth the breath.

The marine placed the tray on the ground and walked out of the room, leaving Luffy on the ground to wait for the gas's effects to wear off. The captain did not appreciate this, for he was quite hungry.

Canan received his food through a hole in the door. It was a lot less than Luffy had received, but he ate it viciously, then returned to his bed and laid down intending to take a nap so he could get some rest. Who knew what would become of him over the next few days.

Sky was tended to by one of the medical doctors and they chatted a bit about what had just happened. The doctor clearly didn't think of him as a traitor and was willing to fill him in on the details. Several marines had lost their lives in the conflict, and he was told the names of the ones he knew personally. He was then informed of what had become of Canan and he tried to act upset with his friend.

"I can't believe that he, of all people, would turn against us like that" he said staring up at the ceiling.

"I know, he was a man of morals. Not one to turn fowl. It's a real pity" the doctor replied as he mended Sky's stomach. "You really took a blow here. Who knew that swordsman had so much strength left in him. Especially after all those injuries he had received the day before. I just patched him up, I would know and I doubt any normal human would have survived."

"Seriously" Sky added.

They then talked of the crew abandoning their captain, and this shocked him. They didn't seem like the type to just run away. Also, there was Paul. He knew that Paul wouldn't abandon them.

Paul had started a small fire and began to look for supplies needed to build a small hut. Wood wouldn't be too hard to find, but without an axe or nails, they really couldn't put together a good shelter. He did have a good knife on him, so he carved holes into the wood so they could slide snuggly through one another. Chopper gathered firewood in his horns and brought it back to the small cave they had chosen as their hiding spot. The marine had already built the framework of the shelter and Chopper was impressed at his ability to adapt to the situation. The reindeer transformed into his human form and began helping Paul plant the small beams vertically into the earth. They only needed to cover the front of the cave to keep the elements out, so it didn't take long to build.

After their work was finished, the two sat in front of the fire and rested their sore muscles. They had built a hole in the covering for the smoke to rise from that could be covered when the fire was put out. The shelter was practically invisible to any outsider, for it had been covered in brush.

"I wonder what we can eat out here." Paul mumbled as he whittled away at a piece of wood.

"Well, since I'm a reindeer, I can just eat grass of leaves, though I prefer human food."

"Oh yeah, so food isn't really an issue for you."

"Nope" the reindeer said cheerfully.

"Well, I can't really kill any animals with my knife, and using a gun would alert the marines of our location. I guess I'll have to make some traps."

"You could try doing it the old fashion way and make a bow and arrows" Chopper tipped in.

"True… but I don't have any experience in doing that. Never thought that the situation would arise where I had to hunt for my food without a gun."

"Well, the crew left some provisions for us, so for now you can just eat what they left."

"Yeah" Paul complied as he reached for a piece of bread.

The sun began to set and a light chill blew across the island with the western winds. For the reindeer and the marine, their shelter was satisfactory and it kept the wind out well enough.

After Luffy had eaten the food from the tray, he sat down at the desk and turned on the lamp. He found some paper and pen in the drawer and started to doodle. His boredom was eating away at him and he wondered how long he would be in there all alone.

"Well, this gives me time to catch up on my art skills" he mumbled to himself as he looked down at his scribble of Chopper. Even though he could tell what it was, he doubted that any normal person would be able to tell. He let out a sigh and pushed the paper to the side. This wasn't helping.

He got up and walked over to his bed. It had been a while since he had slept in a bed since he had gotten so used to the hammocks on the Merry. His thoughts were full of questions and worry and he tossed and turned till he finally fell asleep as the exhaustion finally took its hold.

Canan awoke from his nap a couple of hours later to the jingle of keys and he sat up. A large marine walked in with handcuffs.

"Ok, come on Canan" he said in a tone that was hard to read. The man had admired Canan for years, so the elite could understand what was going on in his head.

"Where are you taking me?" he asked standing up, knowing that resisting would only lead to trouble.

"To be questioned" replied the marine as he cuffed him and then lead him out of the cell and down the hall.

To be continued…

WOOO! Now that I've finished "Rain" I can continue this fanfic! It's been forever since I updated, so thank you all for not giving up on me. PLEASE R&R. I know this chapter was pretty boring but more is on the way!


	16. Standards

Behavior Issues

Luffy awoke with a start to the sound of a man's shout. It was quite a ways off but the tunnels underground carried sound rather well. He sat up and held his chest. Breathing hurt and his head spun for a moment. He blinked as he herd another shout, his face contorted with fear and concern.

'Someone's being tortured.'

"I'll ask you again, was Sky in on the rescue attempt?"

Canan looked up at him in frustration "I already told you no. Why do you keep asking me if I've already answered?!"

"Because you are a traitor and we know you would be prone to lying. Obviously you would want to protect your friend, but this is justice. We can't have a traitor wondering around in our midst while we have prisoners to tend to. So, I'll ask you once more, is Sky a traitor?"

Canan eyed the hot stoke that had just been removed from his back. It glowed a bright yellow and he knew all too well what it felt like on his bare skin. However, he didn't know what to say. Would a traitor really work so hard to keep a loyal man free? Was the fact that he was protecting Sky making it obvious he was the accomplice?

"Ya know what; I'm not going to take a burning to protect one of your men; no matter how honorable he has been. By all means, lock him in chains, it won't affect me."

The situation was troublesome. It all depended on how the marines reacted to what he said, and he had just taken a huge risk. What if all they needed was a confession from him and they really would lock him up? Maybe the only way to keep Sky safe would be to not say a word. Other than what he said, they had no proof that Sky had been in on it.

"You haven't answered my question" the man said bending down beside his ear "is Sky your accomplice? Yes or No?"

Canan dropped his head, letting his long hair fall across his face. He could get things done and could defend what he believed in, but lying was something he had never grown accustomed to doing. He wasn't good at it and he knew it.

"James" he said the questioners name, for he had known him personally "you know that I'm an honest man, and I'm sure you just saw me put up a terrible attempt to be someone I'm not. That is why no matter what you do to me, I will not allow an innocent man to be punished for my sake. The truth is that he has done nothing to deserve any kind of punishment and you know it."

What he had said was what he believed. Sky had done nothing wrong even if he was his accomplice, but even saying that would put his friend in chains. He would not allow that no matter what they did to him.

James looked down at him with respect. No matter what this man had done or what rank he was, he couldn't help but look up to him in admiration. He felt horrible to question him in such a way, but orders were orders, and if he refused he would be suspected.

"He's innocent. I won't say another word" Canan said looking up. His piercing gold eyes could be seen through his disheveled locks of hair. They were so strong and sincere; he knew he couldn't continue the interrogation and still feel human.

"Sir?" one of the guards said questioningly.

"Let's give him some time to think it over" he said turning away from the detainee. "Its clear he's not going to talk at the moment."

The men didn't argue for they disliked torturing one of their own as well. They all left Canan alone in the room.

A minute later the doctor walked by. The man's name was Kale and was (for a doctor) quite young at an age of 34. The room Canan was being held in had reversed mirrors for those wanting to hear to witness's confession. It had originally been a regular questioning room, but recently it had been re-modified to make the "questioning" a bit more convincing.

Even though he knew Canan had betrayed them, as he looked through the glass, he wanted horribly to go in and properly tend to the man's wounds. They wouldn't be life threatening but had to be painful without the right medication and the "questioning" wouldn't make things any better. Canan was bound tightly to a chair with leather straps. The back of the chair was normal except that there was a large hole where the marine's bare back rested. This was where they would place the tips of hot iron spokes from a fire to get the answers they desired. It wasn't incredibly terrible, since it wasn't doing any real damage to the recipient's body, but if he were in any position in charge, he would be rid of such cruel treatment; especially to the man before him.

Suddenly there were footsteps down the hallway and he backed away from the mirror. To his surprise it was the president himself and he decided that now would be the best time to ask permission to check up on the prisoner. Before he could stop him though, the president (I'll just call her Alvida, even though they don't know who she is) halted in front of the mirror.

"I see they stopped questioning him" she said through the mask. To be honest, she really hadn't cared that much when the slender general had come in asking permission to use more persuasion in the questioning. She didn't think that it would actually come to torture, so though she was willing to let it happen, she was a little taken back by it. However, at the moment, she wanted to focus on writing up the side affects the sea stone had on Luffy's performance in battle. She began to walk away but the doctor caught her by the arm and she turned.

"Pardon me sir, but may I have permission to care for the prisoner before they continue the questioning?"

"Do what you like, but be sure he doesn't try and escape" she replied, a little anxious to be going but he stopped her once more.

"I'm sorry if I seem too assertive, but could you have them stop the questioning for now?"

She paused for a moment. She wouldn't mind being rid of it, but there was a chance that Sky might try and rescue the captain and all her efforts would be in vain. She was in a high position, but without proof she couldn't imprison him.

"No, you can only mend his injuries for now. That is all" she finished firmly, then rushed down the hall.

Kale sighed, but was glad he could check on Canan. After fetching some medical supplies he walked into the room and the bound Elite looked up from his seat. His hair was still in his face but the strands managed to stay out of his eyes as he gazed seriously at the doctor.

"Hi Kale" he said as his gold eyes followed him walking over to his side.

Sweat could be seen in beads on his face and chest but his face showed no sign of what he had been through. He may as well have been eating lunch with the others for all he could tell.

Kale smiled sadly "Hey Canan."

Luffy had been awake for a while and was glad that the shouts of pain had stopped. He sat in bed with his elbows on his knees, waiting for something, anything to happen. He felt that it was morning though there were no windows in his room. Though the night had been unpleasant, he had gotten enough sleep.

He heard footsteps down the hall and hoped that, whoever it was wouldn't resort to the paralyzing gas. He hated how it filled his lungs and burned like acid till he could do nothing but lie there helplessly.

To his relief, the vents were not opened but there was a noise at the door and it was opened. Either someone was there to save him or the marines knew what they were doing so he didn't bother getting up.

It was Alvida, unless somebody else would dress in such a costume.

"Hello Mugiwara; did you have a good night? Sleep well?"

He grunted, "Like you'd care."

"Anyways, do come along."

"Where are you taking me?" he growled.

"You'll see soon enough; so come along."

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me where you're taking me."

"You are in no position to say such nonsense. Either you come willingly or we'll gas you and take you by force."

Luffy growled and got up.

"Good, follow me" she said turning and waving one of the guards to cuff him. They did so and he was led down the dark hallway.

He was taken to the same room he had been earlier and dreaded to see it again. That had to be that last place on earth he wished to be. He was escorted in to see Dr. Akens standing inside. He truly hated that man and whenever he would get his chance, he would break every bone in his body… when he got his chance.

"Remove the Pindum from his body so we can continue as planned" said Alvida.

'Nani?' he thought to himself. 'Why would she remove the Pindum?'

With that, Alvida and the marines left him alone in the room.

"Hello Luffy, glad to see you're looking healthy."

The boy glared at him.

"I think you know how this goes. So would you rather we do this the hard way or the easy way?"

Luffy didn't reply, but he walked over to the table and took a seat on top. He would not allow that man to have the same amount of control over him as last time; even if it meant submitting.

"Good" said the doctor as he walked over to his desk and pulled open the drawer. "Don't worry boy. This will be a lot easier than before." He pulled out the tube and a different bag than before. He then walked back over to Luffy who continued to glare at him.

"Ok, open up" he said in a tone that annoyed the captain greatly, but he did as he was told. The doctor lifted the tube to his mouth and began to force it down the boy's throat. Luffy's choking reflex kicked in but he didn't move, clenching the side of the table with his palms. As the tube was pushed farther down, he closed his eyes in pain. He wanted terribly to smash the man's face in with his fist, but he knew that he would just be put in his place. He would not satisfy their desire to treat him like an animal.

The mouth guard was put over his mouth and nose and the bag was screwed on top of the tube. He flipped a switch on the bag and it began to expand. Luffy felt his breath being sucked from his lungs and he squirmed a bit as a reaction to the discomfort but stilled himself stubbornly. Once it felt that all the air had been removed from his lungs, something else seemed to be escaping. He assumed it was the Pindum leaving his body and though he was suffocating, it was like taking a weight from his chest. His body twisted as his lungs began to scream for air and he clenched the table tighter. Right when he was at the brink of loosing consciousness, there was relief. He inhaled the wonderful oxygen with a loud gasp as the tube was removed from his throat.

"Good, that made my job much easier with your cooperation" said the doctor as he looked down to see that the table's end had been bent in by the boy's hands. He walked over to the speaker beside the door, held down a button and spoke into it.

"We're done in here. He's all yours."

A marine walked in and handed Luffy a white T-shirt to take the place of his dirty red vest that had been taken from him the day before. He put it on and it fit rather well. The marine then cuffed him again and took him, once more, to Alvida who lead the way down the hall.

Paul had awoken in the middle of the night shaking from cold. He kicked himself mentally for not thinking about this situation. Surely the crew had some extra blankets on the ship, but he hadn't even thought about how terribly cold it got on that island.

(Random Authors Note: I keep writing Sky rather than Paul… its like my head it telling me Sky is with Chopper, but I know he's not… Try and understand it if make this mistake.)

He worried that he was getting hypothermia and sat up. What good was it to try and sleep on the cold ground freezing? Might as well get up and do something since sleep wasn't an option. He decided to go find some more firewood and to get the fire going again. The logs covering the cave's entrance hardly seemed to keep the chill out, but Paul quickly realized the temperature difference upon his first step out of their shelter. A gust of wind blew right through his jacket and he brought his hands over his arms hoping to keep some part of his body from going numb.

"Dang" he mumbled "since when did it get so stinkin cold here?"

He walked a ways and grabbed a few broken limbs from the ground. They were a bit wet and he growled as his hands touched the cold wood. 'Not dry enough to keep a fire going…' he thought to himself as he threw it aside. After looking around for a few minutes, he gave up and retreated back to the small lodging hoping that it had heated up some more since he was gone… It had not, and the fire had all but gone out.

Paul sighed and laid back down, hoping that sleep would come to rescue him from his discomfort. It didn't and the boy looked over at his comrade with envy. The reindeer was covered in fur and he imagined that he was quite toasty at the moment. His stomach growled and he grabbed it with his shivering hand. 'What a crappy night…'

Luffy's eyes widened in surprise as he looked upon the huge room they had just entered. He hardly could tell it was a room, for it was decorated like the outdoors. Not just decorated, but the size was huge. There was a bright green field before him with some small creeks leading to a large pond. The ceiling was incredibly high and he wondered if he could even reach it with his stretching ability.

"What… is this?" he gasped.

Alvida didn't respond but walked over to a small building attached to the wall. It had large windows on all sides. She entered and closed the door, then the marines behind him quickly de-cuffed him and left, locking the door behind them. He cocked his head.

"Nani?"

He looked around the room and spotted cameras in different corners. They were small and hard to spot, but just from where he stood he could distinguish twelve. Were they observing him? He looked over at the building and saw Alvida with two other marines. She had a notepad and the men and recorders and headphones.

"What the heck?" he said aloud, wondering what on earth they were doing. They weren't stupid enough to treat him like an animal and believe that this was his natural habitat. No, Alvida was a jerk, but she wouldn't do things this way. What was going on?

Suddenly he spotted two large men walking towards him. They had been hiding behind some of the trees and he noticed that they had weapons with them. They began to quicken their pace and soon were running at him.

'Why are they…?'

Then they were upon him. One took a swing at him with a sword and he barely ducked in time. The other went at him from below and jabbed upward with his dagger. The captain jumped back and brought his arms up in a fighting stance. Before they could attack again, he brought his fist into the larger of the two who had attacked first. The man went flying away from him and the other tried to go at him from the side. He was rejected as well with a powerful kick.

Luffy chuckled a bit as the two staggered back to their feet. Then he noticed that Alvida and the others watching him from the room were writing frantically on their notepads and the men were talking into their recorders. The cameras had turned to view him from where he had moved.

'They're documenting my every move… but why?'

The combat continued for a few minutes, and the men were replaced with others. Luffy was working up a sweat, but was in good enough shape. His arm ached terribly since it had been ripped apart the day before, but it had been patched up rather well. Things were going smoothly for him since his life was threatened on a regular basis in battle.

That, however, changed when he saw that around him were unnatural patches of grass that began to move. They opened into air vents and soon he began to see green gas emitting from them. Then it hit him. They were documenting how he reacted to the gas during a battle.

He came to a sudden stop before the gas reached him and stood with his hair covering his eyes. Without even a flinch he took the blow from one of the marine's fists.

Everyone was taken back in shock as he stood up slowly and took another hit, this time with a sword. Luckily, the man had been caught a bit off guard at the boy's odd behavior and only cut his arm.

"What's he doing?" one of the marines shouted.

Luffy looked over that the observatory room; "I will not allow you to use me for your experiments. Do what you want, but I will not fight for you."

Alvida's eyes widened in rage as she realized that the boy had already gotten one up on her. How could she do her research if he wouldn't cooperate?

Beside her one of the marines couldn't help but think to himself as he looked upon the brave captain before him, that he greatly resembled the other prisoner being held there, Canan. They both set their standards, even when they were in no position to do so. This made things simple, and he admired their actions, though it would give them quite a bit of trouble if they intended to create this new weapon.

To be continued…

Yay! Updated! Alrighty, do read (u probably already read) and review (im sure your about to)… Thanks so much for keeping up with it even if it's a lil boring. I have a plan for then ending, but I gotta work out what exactly happens to reach it. Hope u enjoyed.


	17. General Yu

General Yu

Paul couldn't feel his arms or legs as he lay on the ground, praying that morning would come soon and the sun would rise. He knew it was only a few hours now. He kept his eyes closed, hoping that maybe his body would go to sleep eventually. That was all he wanted.

All of a sudden, he was engulfed in warmth; a weird fuzzy warmth. He opened his eyes to see Chopper snuggled up beside him in his deer form. The warmth came as much relief to the freezing marine, and he was incredibly grateful. His body ached a bit as the heat returned to him, but once it had, blessed sleep came upon him.

* * *

Alvida was enraged at the captain's arrogance, but didn't want to make a scene. Being at a loss for words, and not knowing how to turn the situation to her favor, she put down her notepad and ordered Luffy to be taken back to his room (with a stop at Dr. Akens).

Alvida kept her temper at bay until she was alone in her office, then she let it out. She threw a chair across the room and ripped off her mask. Slamming her palms onto the table, she began to calm down.

Things had been planned so well, and she had such high expectations for the first day, but that blasted captain had gotten one up on her once again. She knew she would get him to comply, but to have a drawback on the first test was bothersome. Was it her fault? Should she have thought through her options and seen this coming? How oblivious did she think that powerful captain to be?

Smacking herself in the forehead, she straightened up and sighed.

"How annoying" she chuckled aloud, then she picked up the chair, setting it upright, and then sat down at her desk. There was a rap at the door and she returned the mask to her head.

"Come in."

General Yu walked in and closed the door, locking it as he did. Alvida sighed and removed the mask. He saluted her then walked to her desk. The general had a crooked way about him though he had a strong build of a body. It was his eyes that made his appearance to be corrupt. They were slanted back and his face seemed to have a constant sneer planted on it. If it weren't for his evil expression, General Yu could have been quite a handsome man and his age looked to be around 30 or 35. His hair was black and hung in even layers to his broad shoulders. He was one of the best dressed generals wearing a fine leather jacked with bright orange stripes down the sleeves. A thin sword hung off of his side with matching bright orange indentions on the hilt.

"Well, that didn't go as well as planned" he said crossing his arms behind his back.

"It really didn't, but we can't let this sway us from our jobs can we? There are other ways to test the gas."

Yu sighed. "We don't need another method of testing; we just need to give the subjects the right motivation. I have an idea if you will hear it."

The word "motivation" made Alvida feel uneasy but she nodded in approval. It wasn't like she had any good ideas at the moment.

"It is clear that the traitor that we have been questioning for a while was in alliance with the pirate captain. I believe that there is a way to hit two birds with one stone. We should do the questioning in the same room that we test Mugiwara in. I really doubt that Canan will talk under any other circumstances. In fact, I doubt he'll talk even if we did this, but at least then we could order Straw Hat Luffy to fight seriously."

Alvida blinked. It sounded like a good idea to her but she didn't want to make any decisions too quickly.

"Sounds good to me but give me some time to think it through. Thank you Yu."

He smiled, saluted, then turned away; waiting till she had returned the mask to her head before unlocking the door and walking out.

Alvida was glad to have a plan already but she wondered what the other marines would think of this method. She knew some would be opposed to the idea and she had found out the hard way that not everyone was as loyal as she had naively assumed at the beginning of her command.

* * *

Paul awoke to a warm sun seeping through the cracks of his handmade wall. There was a light chill in the cave but nothing like it had been in the night. His jacket had warmed up and seemed to finally be doing its job keeping him warm. Chopper was gone and it was quiet outside except for the rustling of branches as they were touched by small gusts of wind.

He sat up wearily and rubbed the blurriness from his eyes. Looking around the cave he wondered what time it was so he crawled to his feet and peered outside. It was much warmer on the outside than it had been in the cave and for the first time he took a good look at the forest that surrounded their campsite. The sun had already made it up a good ways into the sky and he figured that he had slept in quite a bit, but where was that reindeer?

The marine stretched and then made his way to the small creek that wasn't too far away considering he could hear it flowing from the cave. He washed his face off in the clear water then proceeded to take a small bath. The combination of cool air and freezing water caused him to shiver and he finished up quickly and he threw his clothes back on with amazing speed.

It was now that he commenced to search for his furry friend who had been absent for a bit of time. He started by returning to camp then he took a look around for hoof prints. There were quite a bit scattered everywhere but he figured he had to start somewhere. It was a lucky guess for it wasn't too long before he came upon the "little" reindeer in its human form chopping wood. He wondered why it would do that since it had that warm fur and he could only guess that it was for him. Paul smiled warmly. Chopper had gone out early in the morning to prepare for the next night so that he could sleep comfortably.

"Morning Chopper" he said putting his arm on the deer's shoulder.

"Oh, morning Paul" Chopper said turning and smiling. Paul was taken back by his appearance. The reindeer had dark lines under its eyes and he looked downright exhausted.

"What on earth? Are you ok?"

"Yeah, it's just that I think that there's an odd sea stone gas in the air here. It strains me physically and even makes it hard to sleep, but there's not much I can do about that. The least I can do is make sure one of us keeps their energy. We're gonna need it today."

Paul blinked. _So Chopper had as hard a night as I did._ Looking around he saw a large stack of firewood. That would come in handy that night.

"Here, let's take this back. You need to rest up since we need to be completely ready for tonight."

He grabbed a large amount of the firewood and with a heave he lifted it and began to make his way back to camp. He definitely wasn't as strong as Canan but he could usually count on his strong arms and back to get a job done.

Chopper took up what was left of the firewood without objection. He would love to get a good nap in before they would go to the base that night.

* * *

The marine base stretched much farther than what the pirates had seen. It curled around on the cliffs on the far side of the island and a marine could find himself lost in all the quiet hallways that opened up to the sea and sky. Along the long walkways were arched pillars that held up the stone roof. Sometimes when a storm or hurricane came tearing in there would be an order to evacuate the cliff side walkways due to the powerful pounding of the waves that would flood the hallways since there was no real protection from outside forces. It had originally been built before the island had been declared a marine base but it had recently been remodeled with a stronger foundation.

General Yu walked silently along the empty hallway, not bothering to turn his head to see the ocean crashing defiantly into the cliffs before him. One could look backwards and forwards as far as they could see and not a soul could be spotted. Then the silence was broken as an odd ringing noise came from a pocket inside his jacket. He took a quick look both ways before pulling out a black snail and answering.

"Yes?"

"General Yu?"

"It's me."

"Has anything come up General Yu? We are patient but I must say we are anxious to hear a report of your progress."

"We are close sir, very close. We have successfully captured Mugiwara and have begun tests on him. However, we failed to retrieve his crew and I fear that they may come and cause trouble."

"I fear that's not all of your troubles Yu. We have heard from a reliable source that there is amongst you a member of Alvida's old crew. Sadly, we don't have any physical description of this person except that it is a lad around 23 years old; perhaps one of the three traitors from yesterday?"

"No. Those three have been here far too long. The one we have captured was here even before we arrived and it's still a question of whose side Sky is on."

There was a sound of footsteps down the hall and Yu looked up quickly.

"I have to go sir, but I will keep in contact."

"Good luck general."

With that he clicked off the snail and stuffed it back into his jacket.

* * *

The Straw Hat crew finally reached the island they had been heading for. It was pretty plain looking but there was a large square building near the center and they figured that was where they would need to go to get the information they needed.

Zoro and Sanji pulled up the sails and reluctantly took down the pirate flag. Having people know that they were pirates would not help them right now. They had to find what they needed quickly and head back to their captain that awaited their return.

To be continued…

I know this was a rather slow chapter, but hey, I updated!! You can understand why it took me so long to write this (cause its kinda booring, but its important to the story, so do be sure to read it through). Thank you for not giving up on me! Please review!!! There should be some excitement in the next chapter so please wait patiently. Thanks!!


	18. The Plot Thickens

Plot

-Straw Hat Crew-

"So" said Usopp as they anchored off shore to the small island before them "this is another marine base?"

Nami looked down at her map once again "yep, this is exactly where it should be according to the directions Paul gave us."

"It doesn't look like much" Usopp replied as he viewed the rather dull building farther on shore. Most marine bases were fairly noticeable, but the only one that stood out at all was just a little bigger than the others. It was a very dry island with very little vegetation. The sun shown down without opposition as it scorched the cloudless world beneath it.

Zoro raised his hand to shield his eyes from the bright rays. He had just recently been strong enough to leave the bed and was dying to return to his captain's aid. Paul had said that there was a scheme going on within the government that had to do with Luffy's capture. It was more than just the president taking charge and they had gone out to find out what was really going on. He had heard tell that the island that they were at was the heart of plot and that it would be the best place to find information and they couldn't judge a book by its cover. Besides, if the government was doing something they were trying to keep under wraps they wouldn't be trying to draw attention to themselves.

"Ya know, we really should have a lifeboat on this ship" said Usopp, thinking about the trouble of getting ashore.

"No worries; Luffy can just…" Nami stopped in mid sentence upon realizing her error.

The others didn't bother saying anything to correct her figuring it wouldn't help anything. Robin smiled. "I think we're close enough to the island that I can grab onto one of those ledges" she said pointing at the small cliffs made up of sandy colored rocks.

Nami lifted her hand "before we go anywhere we need to discuss what we're going to do when we get there. It's not like we can just walk in there and ask the government what their up to. They wouldn't even tell us if we weren't pirates. So we have to figure out a way of searching for information in secret or by force."

"Ok" said Usopp "first off, we're going to have to hide our identities before we take any action. I can take care of that. Leave it to me."

As the marksman scurried into the hull of the ship, the others began to make plans.

When everything was ready to be put into play, Usopp had managed to give the crew enough of a disguise with the small amount of supplies that they had in stock to fool a bystander. Knowing that Zoro could be spotted from a mile away with his bright green hair, Usopp dyed his hair white with a flour like concoction and gave him a mustache. The swordsman would be the best option for an elder since he was still in poor condition and would have to walk with a limp anyway. He gave Sanji the old fisherman outfit since he had done it earlier and they would recognize the nose (also, it covered Sanji's curly eyebrow). The other costumes were a bit simple since there weren't any real distinct characteristics about the other crewmembers.

Nami had decided that to not arouse suspicion by just appearing out of nowhere, they could disguise the Merry Go and take on the role of simple sailors when they docked.

Robin was to be "Captain Richardson" and Usopp was to be her first mate. They figured the best reason to get into the government building would be for some disturbance. So they decided to have "Captain Richardson" accuse Nami (a crewmate called, simply, "Mate") of an attempt at mutiny. They would be docking with the sole purpose of arresting "Mate" then would be on their way. That is, after they got the information they needed.

Sanji had to admit he was a bit agitated about playing the role of the fisherman and, to his surprise, his complaints were heard and he became the man with the mustache and Zoro became the older fisherman. It just made since to give the weaker crew member the older role. Also to his surprise, Zoro didn't argue.

So they took action after fixing up the Merry Go to look like some kind of bird in the front and hid their pirate emblems. To their relief, no one hardly even glanced their way as they coasted up to the harbor and pulled up to the docks. Robin had put her hair up and they hoped to get her a good "captain looking" outfit before they entered the government building. They all knew she would do a fine job at playing the role of captain. Usopp had managed to concoct an odd die to put into Nami's hair to turn it a bright blonde (after promising several times that it was not permanent that is). By the time they finished dressing her up she looked like a rebellious punk with her hair tied up in messy buns. Before going ashore they memorized some facts about each other in case they were asked questions like where they were from or what "Mate" did to make them think she was planning a mutiny. They also had to become the characters, which meant different personalities than they were used to.

After an hour of rehearsal they all made their way off the Merry Go and into the dull city. It was dry and dusty but there were decent enough shops around to find a good outfit for a good price. After giving Robin a good captain cloak (that they decided once all this was over they would give as a "welcome back gift" for Luffy after his rescue). She wore tall black waders and black gloves and after she finished suiting up the five pirates headed straight into the government headquarters (the "first mate" shaking in his boots).

-Jin-

Jin was a Private in the marines and nothing special when it came to fighting, but he did have a knack at getting whiffs of information from others and spreading it amongst the other underlings like himself. There had been a lot going on after that battle they came to call "Battle for Cell 200" and though only the higher ranked officers were allowed in the underground cells, he had heard enough to have a basic idea of the actions taking place beneath their feet. To be honest he didn't approve of what he had heard and was quick to complain/gossip about it to his friends who came to agree with his opinions. However, no one wanted to jump to conclusions and since they had plenty of free time after the usual exercises they decided to look into things a bit. What else was there to do since they were defending a base that practically no one knew about and no one would care to enter (besides those pirates that had left the day before).

It was when he had first heard the rumors about what was being done down below that he decided he would dig into what was really going on and soon there were a great number of marines who saw things the same way.

This was the beginning of a division amongst the ranks in the island marine base. The men's trust in their leaders was dying with the knowledge of what exactly they were defending beneath the earth's surface. The Privates, Elites, and even the Commanders were beginning to question the Generals. Of course they never questioned their orders up front but when the day would come to an end one could find the lower divisions gossiping about what they had overheard from their "sources" and soon it became more than just a means of entertainment. Soon the things overheard and hinted at made them wonder and they began to desire the straight forward truth about what was really going on behind their backs.

Jin was the number one man when it came to spreading information, but the only reason this was true was because there was a certain other Private who somehow managed to get into the underground passageways and see things first hand. This, however, was a secret and he had promised to never tell where he got the information. The man's name was Orrin and he seemed to be a nice enough guy, but no one knew anything about him other than the fact that he had access to the underground prison. Some were a bit suspicious about him but he was one of their only means to finding out what was going on in secret so they let him do as he pleased without question.

They had heard tell that Canan was being questioned through means of torture to verify Sky's betrayal. This was what sparked the disloyalty amongst the marines, because despite the fact that Canan had betrayed them, they still respected him and some would have followed in his footsteps had they known what he was doing. They didn't know much about Sky though. He didn't seem they type to go against orders like he was being accused of.

-Straw Hat Crew-

The interior of the government building was much more spectacular than the outside. When they stepped through the door they stepped into a large foyer with a pattern of tiles lining the floor. There were columns holding up the tall ceiling and doors lining the wall going who knew where. At the end of the room there was a secretary's desk with a broad-shouldered woman looking rather bored behind it.

Robin crossed her arms behind her back and walked forward confidently. Usopp, Sanji, and Nami followed behind. Nami, (Mate), had her hands tied in front of her and looked reluctant to be going in the building. They had left Zoro to defend the ship if trouble came up.

"How may I help you?" the lady asked in a rough, unconcerned, tone.

"I would like to charge one of my crew members of an attempted mutiny" Robin spoke, grabbing Nami by the arm and pulling her in front of her.

"Mmhm" the lady mumbled and she wrote something down on a slip of paper. "Take the door to your right and you will find a hallway. In that hallway are a number of rooms. I need you to go to this room" she said as she handed the piece of paper to Robin who took it and read it.

"Room 114, got it" she said, then turned on her heal, heading to the doorway. Sanji took the job of pushing the reluctant "Mate" toward the door.

They found the room easily enough and stepped inside. There was a man at a desk who motioned for them to take the seats in front of him. They did, and after shuffling some papers, he put his elbows on the desk and his hands together.

"What's the problem" he asked seeming decently interested in what the problem was.

Robin cleared her throat then explained how her crew member "Mate" had been scheming a mutiny amongst her crew members with the intention of taking on the role as captain. However, the other crew members had turned her in.

"Now I know it would have been fine to toss her overboard right then, but since I am a fan of the justice system, I figured she deserved a court trial before she was punished."

The man nodded.

"A mutiny aye? Well, I guess I could get a small jury together and handle the issue right quick. You're name?"

"Captain Richardson" she replied "and this here is "Mate"."

Usopp was standing with his arms crossed trying to look as strong as possible. He had to admit to himself though that he didn't take on the appearance of a first mate. His name was "Kish" and he had a slight accent he had made up before entering the town.

Sanji was a funny looking old fellow. After dying his hair white he had brushed all of his bangs into his eyes, which made Usopp wonder how he could see. It reminded him of a shaggy dog. On his head he wore a black top hat that gave him a sophisticated spirit about him. The cook played the role wonderfully.

After filling out some papers and answering a couple more questions, the group was left in the room as the man went off to do the arrangements for the trial.

"Well, its now or never" Sanji said as he stood to his feet.

"Good luck Sanji" Usopp said as the cook adjusted his hat and stepped out of the doorway. It was up to him to find the information they needed.

-Luffy-

Luffy didn't respond when the door was opened to his room but he got up when the marine stepped in to get him. By now he had figured why he was there and what they were doing. All he could figure to do was go with it since there wasn't much chance that he would be getting out until his crew returned for him, and he firmly believed they would. He just had to wait for them.

Suddenly, as they made their way through the halls, there was an alarm and a red light began to flash from the ceiling. It surprised all of them but the leader of the group (who Luffy recognized as a general) calmed them down after answering the snail that was in his pocket.

"Just an intruder everyone. We know that its only one and I'm sure the other marines can handle it. However, we will have to change hallways since it seems that he is on this level and we don't want him and the prisoner to cross paths."

With that they turned down another hallway which ended at a doorway.

"This may interest you Mugiwara" he said as he unlocked the door and stepped into a dark room. The group walked through the doorway and Luffy had to wait a while for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. There were small green lights on the walls but it was still too dim to see much. The first thing he noticed were bars to a cell. In fact, there were several small cages all around him and at first he wondered if they were keeping animals there. Then he heard a voice that seemed oddly familiar come from one of the cages that was only a foot or two tall.

"To think we'd meet here Mugiwara."

Luffy peered through the bars to see an unforgettable face: Buggy the pirate.

-Alvida-

Alvida made her way down the hallway. She was a little uptight about forcing the pirate boy by torturing his friend. It didn't sit well with her stomach and a part of her wished she had turned down the idea, but she could think of no other way to get Luffy to do what she wanted.

She jumped when the alarm went off and she immediately called one of the generals to see what was going on.

"Nothing ma'am, just a false alarm."

Now that made her rather curious but she wanted to get to the testing room quickly so that they didn't start without her.

-General Yu-

General Yu ran along the dark tunnel, followed by three commanders. The lad had been spotted crawling through the gas vents but had managed to scamper off before being caught. This, however, gave them a basic idea of where he was. Whatever the case, they must not let Alvida meet up with him, for he knew the secrets that could unmask their true intentions. The number one goal at the moment would be to kill him before he spreads the information he had stolen.

To Be Continued…

Finally, a new chapter, and a boring one for that matter. Just bear with it till we get to the juicy fighting scenes. Please read and review. I know that I'm as slow as junk at getting these chapters updated, but your support speeds up the process a bit. Thank you and keep reading.


	19. Sky

Sky

Sanji walked slowly down the empty hallway having no idea where he was going. What he needed were maps and information about the marine base they would be returning too to save Luffy.

"Now where would they keep information like that? I'm sure it's not going to be sitting around for a stranger to find."

The cook sighed and adjusted his hat. As he walked from door to door he would check the labels. Half of which he wondered why they even existed and what they did. Whenever he would come across one that had no label he would take a peek in.

He had sour luck, finding nothing but offices and closets. Then he came to what he was looking for. There was an empty office that he had peered in and spotted a man pushing a bookcase against the wall. Now why would he be doing that?

Sanji quickly hid himself in an empty closet, leaving it cracked open so he could see when the man left. He waited for a few minutes to be sure no one was coming then made his move. Slipping into the room, he began to look around to see if there was a special way to get through the bookcase. He pulled at every book and twisted every carving but the shelf wouldn't budge. Growling to himself he began to wonder what would be the best course of action. This was the first hint he had gotten and he needed to get in there, but how?

He walked over to the desk and shuffled around in the drawers a bit but to no avail. The next option he had was to find a good spot to hide in wait till someone else came along. There were no good places inside the room so he decided to retreat back to the closet and to hope no one would need to use it.

-Crew-

The man returned and didn't ask about where Sanji had gone. Though the others had no idea what their cook was up to, they figured that the best option would be to carry on the act.

They filled out the forms with completely fake information (like anyone could keep track of that) and always kept a confident heir about them. They figured as long as they looked like they knew what they were doing they could probably get away with anything.

So the man collected their papers and gave them a schedule of when they would need to return. Mate (Nami) was taken to a holding cell and the others were to come back in four hours.

-Luffy-

"WHAT THE CRAP!?" Luffy said aloud as he looked upon the head of Buggy the Pirate. As his eyes adjusted he saw that each of Buggy's body parts were in separate cages.

"Seems I wasn't the ideal experiment they were hoping for" chuckled the clown "I'm too hard to track with my body flying all over the place, so to be sure I didn't escape they stuck me in here."

"But what are you doing here Boggard?" Luffy asked.

"Its Buggy you idiot" the pirate growled "and it turns out me and Alvida used to work together as pirates till she betrayed me and the rest of our crew… we'll, most of our crew. She turned us in to the Marines and joined them."

"Hmm, tough luck" Luffy responded.

"You're one to talk Mugiwara! You're caught up in here just like me, and where is YOUR crew?"

Luffy frowned. "They will come. At least I'm still in one piece" he chuckled.

"Ohhh, you wait till I get out of here and I'll be sure to change that" Buggy shouted out as Luffy was led away and the door was shut.

-Sky-

Sky was able now to walk around his room and Kale would come in and tell him about all the gossip that had been spreading about the camp.

"They say that Canan is being kept underground and Jins trying to get a group together to talk to the president about both you and Canan. Some are still angry with Canan, but would prefer for him to be kept in the above ground cell, and they all agree that you should be released. Hopefully we'll get you out of here soon."

Canan looked up from his daze "well, it wasn't like I was going anywhere in my condition anyway. Thank you for telling me Kale, and thank you for treating me, I thought I was a goner."

Kale smiled and rubbed his head "no problem. You're a pretty tough little guy."

As the doctor left, Sky's face grew solemn. He knew he would have to take charge sooner or later. Someone had to or this would never end; but he was always the soldier who took orders despite his rank. His life dwelled on obeying orders and pleasing his authorities. His childhood had changed him and now he lacked the ability to lead, but he would have to give it all he had to set things right.

--Sky Flashback—

A seven year old Sky was led down a street holding his mothers hand. He had soft black hair and two piercing violet eyes. His mother was a redhead with long bangs and a short cut in the back. They weren't rich, but they were better off than most people in that town. The marked was crowded and fishermen held up large fish while the gardeners opened up their baskets to let the smell of fresh spices tempt passing customers.

Sky, like many children his age, would run off while his mom inspected the fruit of one vender or the pork of another. She was a widow and though she cared for her child very much, she had slacked when it came to discipline and the boy would usually do as he pleased. He loved his mother but many times when she said no, he would say yes.

Later at night, Sky would find his way home and his mom would have left out a cool supper for him to heat up in the fireplace. He would then make his way into the bedroom where she slept and snuggle in next to her.

Now Sky's father had a brother who, when he died, had expected a decent sum of the will only to discover that his brother had left all he had to his wife and child. The brother was a drunkard who would travel around town searching for small jobs to take on to pay for his alcohol and perhaps a snack. Many times he made his way to Sky's mother to grab a meal, then when she would try and turn him away, he would blame her for the state he was in. How she had taken all his money and that he had no choice but to drink the keep himself sane.

When this happened, Sky would always greet his uncle with disrespect. He hadn't yet comprehended what the man was saying when it came to wills and such so he would call him a liar and a thief for forcing his mother to provide for him. As time went on the brother grew to strongly dislike Sky and would often rant at his mom for not raising him with any idea of respect. Sky's only response to his mothers pleading with him would be that the man didn't deserve respect.

Then came the day that the brother had wondered into the forest and stumbled upon an odd looking geyser rising from the ground that was emitting an odd gas. He brought a sample back to the town to discover that it was a most valuable Sea Stone. It was the first to be found existing without human support. Sea Stone was an invention of the Marines that took up much time and supplies to create, so to find it in existence naturally, was a real find.

They contacted Marine headquarters and in a month an entire fleet of Marines had arrived. The town was turned into a Marine base and its residents were forced to find homes elsewhere.

Now Sky's mother, as loving as she was, had not planned too far ahead for them and had been living off of the money her husband had left behind as well as a small business. When the shop was torn down she was left to rely on what was left in the will.

All the while, the brother had become a billionaire after selling the plot he had found. He built a mansion up in the mountain, right where the fountain of Sea Stone had been found. He never visited his sister-in-law again despite the terrible condition she was in trying to care for a child alone with no business.

As time went on she grew weaker and weaker. Sky would try and do errands to earn enough money for food, but soon medical expenses were needed. He wore himself out trying to save enough money for a doctor to see his mom, even cutting off on his own food intake. He refused to beg from his uncle who lived a life of luxury above their small shack until the night that he would loose her. He had saved up hardly enough to pay for half the expenses of a doctor, and the marine base was on the other side of the mountain. Her health had taken a sharp turn for the worst suddenly, and he feared for her life. So in desperation he ran up the mountain to his uncle's fortress. The uncle however, despite seeing the panic in the boy's eyes and the exhaustion that he had from running such a long distance, took his time in sending help. He figured that she would be better off dead than to suffer as she was. When help arrived she had been lost.

Sky, despite his bitterness towards his uncle, was sent to live with him in the mansion. This was when his uncle decided to take the boy's stubbornness into his own hands. Sky was sent to work with the other servants, and was to wait on his uncle's hand and foot. The very first time Sky heard of the idea he immediately headed to his room to ignore such an outrageous request, only to find himself roughly dragged back and beaten fiercely. This was the first time he had experienced discipline and it wouldn't be the last. Time and time again he would disobey, and time and time again he would be beaten. Even then he was defiant, and as time went on he grew numb to the switches they used and on a regular basis he would directly blame his uncle for his mother's death and spit at him.

This was when his uncle decided that the discipline needed to take a step up. Soon the rough skin that had grown tough against the switches was cut open with whips. No one could oppose such treatment, for they now lived alone on the other side of the mountain. Once a month the marines would come and check up on the geyser and collect samples. Besides that, they were completely alone on the island.

Several times Sky would run away but only to be found and beaten. After several years, his uncle finally got what he wanted; a lad who would obey without question or complaint. Sky's spirit had been broken along with his heart with his mother's death, and his stubbornness had been broken with time and painful discipline.

Then, when Sky was thirteen, the geyser erupted with burning Sea Stone which engulfed the mansion. Even though no-one there were devil-fruit users, the liquid was toxic. Unlike the solidified Sea Stone, this was a liquid base that bleached and burned everything in its path. Sky had been awake the night of the eruption and had made an early break for the small road in front of the house. The entire building was demolished and the liquid Sea Stone destroyed all that was left of Sky's childhood, both good and bad.

Though he had escaped being trapped inside of the house, Sky was swept away by the overwhelming speed and force of the erupting Sea Stone. He was smashed time and time again against trees and rocks till he had lost all strength and will to live. He was taken down the mountain, grasping blindly at stumps, bushes, anything that would stop his decent. He opened one eye to try and find an escape only to scream in pain as the acid like liquid seeped into it. Finally the pain ended as he reached the bottom of the slope and the Sea Stone began to cool. He realized it was hardening, so with the last bit of strength he had left he dragged himself partially out to breath, then he lost all sense of time and everything around him went black.

It was three days later that the new marine Canan hiked his way through the woods to keep himself in shape during his week break. He didn't like sitting still and he loved training, so he decided to go on a four day hiking/camping trip around the island to keep himself busy. It was then, as if by fate, that he stumbled upon the disaster that had occurred. At the bottom of the slope he found Sky barely alive and covered in hardened Sea Stone. Breaking apart the stone with the butt of his gun, he pulled the boy out and carried him to where he set up camp. He then went to the job of caring for the boy's injuries. He had broken almost every bone in his body and to add to that, his entire body had been burned to a bleached white. His hair had been bleached as well, from its soft black texture to a coarse grey.

For several nights the marine wondered if he would make it through the night and he stayed by his side constantly. Miraculously, he pulled through and on the fifth day he regained consciousness. Canan would talk to him regularly, though Sky couldn't respond since he had swallowed some of the liquid acid. The boy couldn't do anything for that matter other than look through his one usable eye as Canan rambled on about the absurd dress codes the Commanders had given them and how the training was too light. Everyday Canan would spoon feed Sky his venison stew and the boy would painfully choke it down. He was totally at a loss of what to think about this new situation. Should he be glad he was alive, what did he have to live for anymore? He knew no one other than this stranger, but should he feel free from his past? All these things went through his mind as Canan rambled on and as he passed in and out of consciousness.

After another week he finally was able to sit up and grunt in response to Canan's questions. He answered yes and no questions by nodding or shaking his head and the two became friends even before he could speak.

As soon as he could walk they started to make their way back to the marine base. Realizing his eye needed to heal, despite the fact that it was useless now, he used an old rag to wrap around his head. He was quite the spectacle all bleach burned and fumbling around unable to see clearly due to his partial blindness. Canan only laughed and helped him when it was needed.

When they got back to the base, Sky was well accepted and was loaded with questions of pure curiosity from the soldiers and importance from the higher ups. Never had someone who was not a devil-fruit user been injured by the substance, and Sea Stone in liquid form was something completely unheard of.

To be continued…

I am so sorry that I spent the entire chapter talking about my OC. I know it's been forever since I updated, so thank you for waiting!

I RECOMMEND U READ THE FLASHBACK. Even though it doesn't seem important, it fits in with the story. And no worries, I'll get back to the Straw Hats in the next chapter!

Thanks again to LuffysAngel, he/she's always there to remind me to keep it up and to encourage me. So you have her/him to thank for most of my updates. I hadn't forgotten, I just needed a kick.


	20. Hidden Truth

Hidden Truth

Sanji-

Finally, after hours of waiting, a being entered the room of which Sanji had been watching for so long. The man was somewhat chubby and dressed in a fine suit. Sanji made sure no one else was coming, then slipped out of his hiding spot without a sound. The man walked over to the desk and pulled out a pen, and then he walked over to a lamp on the opposite side of the room. He simply stuck the pen into a small slot on the lamp, twisted, and the bookcase popped out from the wall a few inches. The man then put the pen back in the desk, and then pulled the bookcase open. Without hesitation, Sanji dashed at the man and knocked him out. The case was open and he didn't want any complications.

He went to enter the passageway, only to be faced with another obstacle; a big iron door.

"Arg! Why did I go and knock him out!?" Sanji thought in frustration.

Then an idea came to him and he began to spin rapidly.

Crew-

"So, what do we do now captain?" Usopp asked Robin as they continued to wonder the streets of the small town.

"Well" she replied "we have about two hours left till "Mate's" trial, so I think we should continue to lay low until then."

"But what about Sanji? Do you think he can handle this by himself? I'm sure it will be a bit difficult to find the secret information we are looking for in a place like this."

"You're right, but the last thing he needs is for people to get suspicious, and I don't think we could get in unnoticed the way we look now. I'm a little surprised we got away with what we just did to be honest."

Usopp looked at his feet. "Guess all we can do now is pray and wait."

"Indeed."

Luffy-

The alarm was still blaring by the time Luffy reached the large testing room but things continued as usual. That is until he spotted a peculiar chair in the middle of the grassy landscape.

"What's this?" he asked the guard who had led him in.

"You'll see in a bit, but for now we are waiting for the president to get here so we can start."

Suddenly another door opened and a group of commanders walked in with Canan between them.

"You! What are you doing here?" Luffy asked.

Canan smiled "I don't know, but I have a bad feeling its not going to be good."

Luffy frowned. _Who was this guy? Why was he here? Was it a trap? Why had he helped him in the first place?_

Another door was flung open and Alvida rushed in. Something had been up. She began to speak but general Yu rushed in after her and whispered something in her ear.

Luffy cocked his head.

She nodded and quickly made her way to the little viewing room that had been set up to record his symptoms.

The general needed to be sure that Alvida would not come across the intruder, so to keep a close eye on her he took charge of the testing situation.

Yu began to speak. "hello Mugiwara, my name is general Yu, you may not know of me but I know a great deal about you. We were hoping that you're strong will and overconfidence would lead to you cooperating with us in these experiments, but you have proved us wrong. However, though we underestimated you're ability to read into situations, you still have many attributes we can use to have you do as we please."

Luffy looked at him sternly, then turned his attention to where his companion was being led. The Commanders took Canan to the chair and placed him in it. He did not struggle (for to do so was pointless) but Luffy could tell he wasn't too thrilled about being put there.

They then began to bind the elite's arms to the chair with thick leather straps. At this Luffy turned back to the general.

"What the heck do you plan on doing?!"

"You see Luffy; our president has given us permission to go a little extreme to get you to cooperate. Let me explain; it's quite simple…"

As he spoke he walked over to Luffy and lifted the boys arm, he then slipped a black band on to the boys upper arm.

"This will monitor your heart rate, and we expect you to give us your all in this next test."

Luffy's eyes widened as he slowly began to comprehend his situation, and he turned his head to see a cart being pushed in with smoke emitting from a hole at its top. Sticking out of the hole were long metal prongs like those used to stoke a fire.

"What are you suggesting you will be doing if I refuse?" he asked solemnly.

"It's simple Mugiwara, either you keep this heart meter at tops, or you're friend will suffer before your eyes."

"But I don't even know who this is! He's not my accomplice!" Luffy argued defensively.

"To get started, we want you to start running a few suicides from here to that tree so we can record what your max heart rate is to regulate you more efficiently in the future."

Luffy was silent as he looked sternly at general Yu, then at Canan. The elite looked very relaxed considering the predicament he was in. His golden eyes peered nonchalantly back at the captain's.

"Who are you? And why did you help me?" the boy asked.

Canan grinned, "My name's Canan, and my reason for helping you is solely based on my consciousness and natural instinct to act justly. I will have you know that I am fully capable of taking this torture, for I have experienced it already and it won't kill me." With this statement, Canan grinned confidently at Luffy and then situated himself comfortably in his chair."

"Heh, to think there were some nice marines in here" Luffy chuckled, returning the grin.

"Well, now that you two know each other, what is your answer? Will you cooperate or will you let your friend suffer?" questioned Yu.

Alvida watched the three men discuss the terms and hoped that the captain would submit before she had to make the elite suffer any more than he had already.

Luffy continued to face Canan but his black eyes looked back at general Yu.

"Canan…"

The elite looked up.

"You know as well as I do that I cannot allow you to be harmed for my sake. I believe you to be my friend, and can assume that you aided in the rescue of my crewmates. For that, I owe you more than simple gratitude.

General Yu…(he turned to face him) "I will do as you ask", and with that the boy began to run towards the tree.

Canan frowned and slouched in the chair. He knew it would be wasting his time to convince the captain otherwise.

"Good" said the general as he looked back at the building where Alvida and the researches were finally beginning to record the information they needed.

Alvida was torn between being overjoyed or feeling ashamed of herself. Of course, they had nearly killed the boy's crewmates, but that was in battle. This man had no means to defend himself.

Sanji-

The cook's leg glowed with heat as he finally stopped his last revolution. He then shoved his flaming foot into the bolted area of the locked door. It worked like a charm as slowly, but surely, the metal began to melt and bend at his will.

The few minutes it took to get through that door felt like an eternity to the chef as he kept checking behind him to make sure no one was around. No one disturbed his work and the door was finally opened. Before he closed the shelf behind him he was sure to grab the pen to be positive that no one would be disturbing him on his quest to find what he was looking for.

What lied beyond the metal door was a short black hallway, which lead to another door which was, thankfully, not locked. It was, however, much thicker and heavier than the last.

He peeked in but, once again, there was no disturbance. From that point on there was a long, narrow staircase that led deeper into the fortress.

Closing the door behind him, Sanji dropped the man off at the foot of the steps then began to run down, guided by the dim lamp lights on the wall.

The farther and farther he got, the worse it smelled. He caught the scent of iron, and, what he figured was human waste.

What he found at the bottom was not exactly what he had been expecting or looking for. It was a filthy, damp, prison with only two or three cells.

_"Now who the heck would go to all this effort to keep someone in a cell?"_ he asked himself as he made his way by the iron bars. It was quite dark in the gloomy pit, lit by only one lamp on the far end of the hallway. Under the light, Sanji spotted a large guard, but the man had no knowledge of the cook's presence due to the lack of lighting.

Sanji was now at a loss of what he needed to do. He had hoped to find documents telling them what was going on where Luffy was being held. What were they hiding beneath that small military base? He didn't have much time and now he had come to a dead in.

The cook let out a silent sigh of frustration and wondered if he should go back or beat the crap out of the guard and see what information he could get out of him. Neither sounded good at the time, but while he stood there contemplating a weak voice came from the cell in front of him.

"Who are you? You don't look like an official, nor do you look like a questioner. Could you perhaps be a doctor? I sure could use some help in this condition."

Sanji quickly shushed him, and then held his breath as the guard looked in their direction.

"Hey, shut up down there!" he yelled "man I hate this job. Sitting here in a creepy old dungeon…" he continued to mumble then was silent again.

Sanji let out a sigh of relief then got closer to the cell to get a closer look at who was talking to him. His eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness and he peered through the bars to see a thin figure crawling closer.

"Wait, are you not supposed to be here?" asked the man in a whisper upon realizing that this blonde did not want to be noticed.

"No, I'm here to find information about an island nearby. We need to infiltrate the base there but we have no idea what is going on, nor what to expect underneath."

As he looked closer he noticed the man had a bandage over his left eye and scars across his body.

"Do you have any idea what I'm talking about?"

The man grinned. "What luck that someone would come down here. Listen, what they are doing there is illegal and, if found out by the government, would be exterminated and they would be kicked out of the ranks. The ex-pirate, Alvida, has been placed in command over the testing grounds, but merely as a decoy in case they are caught. Once they get what they want they will turn her into the government and benefit from the rewards. My son, Orrin, was able to escape this terrible fate of mine and, as far as I know, has infiltrated their camp."

Sanji blinked in shock. Alvida? Illegal activity? He was not expecting to get this much out of a prisoner but clearly this man knew what he was talking about.

"Why did they cage you up in a terrible place like this?"

"Because I know something that they can't risk getting out to the public. So, before it's too late, hurry and tell someone about what is going on."

Sanji paused, and then spoke again.

"You misunderstand why I am here. I need to know about the base so we can infiltrate it with a small group. We will not be going to the government because we ourselves would be put in prison. All we want to do is rescue a friend of ours."

The man chuckled "funny, my son is there to save someone as well."

"Why didn't he just go to the authorities?"

"Because he wishes to rescue Alvida from her fate of imprisonment or death. If he ratted them out now she would be the one taking the blame."

Sanji blinked in confusion. Who would want to rescue a jerk like Alvida?

"He should know all about the base by now" said the man "knowing my son."

"Do you know where we could find him?" asked Sanji.

"I'm sorry young man, but I cannot tell you. I have no real reason to trust you."

Sanji shrugged in agreement.

"How about I get you out of here? Would you trust me then?"

"Heck yes" the man responded.

To be continued….

Well, that took forever to update. I'm sorry guys, this chapter was boring (which is my reason for the slow update). If my plot isn't exciting, I don't feel the drive to get it done, but that will change soon. This should start getting intense in the next few chapters… well, that's what I'm going for.

I've been really busy lately with basketball and school. I really should be getting my numerous papers written right now, but I choose to procrastinate instead for you're sake.


	21. Human Being

**Human Being**

Sanji knew that he wasn't going to escape unnoticed as long as the guard on the other end of the hall was standing there, so he decided it best to get him out of the picture before taking any other action. He didn't know how close he could get before being spotted, but he figured it didn't matter too much since the man would be unconscious the second he noticed him.

Within seconds, the cook had left the guard sprawling on the ground and was back to the cell. He performed his same move that had gotten him into the dungeon and burned open the cell door. There wasn't much time to waste, for he knew that the others would be wondering where he was and he had no idea when someone might be coming down. So in one swift motion, he grabbed Bansi and began running back from whence he came. To his relief, he made his way all the way back to the room without any interruptions.

"I must admit" Bansi said as Sanji sat him down in the chair "you have some impressive moves, but I don't think that you will be able to just walk out of here with me on your back. This is a marine base, and I know of some very powerful guards who reside within these walls."

Sanji peeked out the door "don't worry; I'm not planning on escaping like that." The blonde stepped out of the room, was gone for a few seconds, and then returned with roll of dirty carpet.

"Err…" Bansi stuttered "what do you plan on doing with that?"

Sanji unrolled it and gave it a snap, sending a cloud of dust into the air.

"This, my friend, will be your royal carriage out of here" he replied with a pleased smile. Clearly he was proud of his last minute escape plan.

Bansi looked over at the cook and blinked. What could he say? There weren't that many options, so arguing would be futile.

The cook waited for an argument, but instead, the man immediately made his way over to the carpet and laid down. Sanji paused in surprise, but quickly bent down to wrap the man up.

"Enjoy the fresh air while you can, because it will be a bit stuffy in there till we get you out" he said.

"Heh, it's been a while since I had a breath of fresh air" Bansi responded "I think I can last a while longer."

"Good" said Sanji as he covered the man's head with what was left of the carpet; then he stepped back to admire his handiwork. It wasn't the perfect roll of carpet, but a believable one at least.

"Alright, let's get you out of here" he said as he picked up the dusty carpet and stepped out of the door.

"_I wonder how well this will go" _the cook asked himself. Things had gone so smoothly so far, surely he wouldn't be able to just walk out without any trouble…

-Robin and Usopp

"Maybe we should have planned this out some more" Usopp said to Robin as they headed back to the large marine buildings holding their crewmates within their walls.

"I mean, Sanji doesn't even know what exactly to look for, and we never planned a logical escape strategy. Heck, we didn't even plan for when we would meet up! I have a bad feeling about this."

Robin smiled, "it's true that we weren't very prepared, but we don't have time to waste with Luffy waiting for us back there."

Usopp nodded, remembering his friend.

"Man" he sighed "I know why we're here, but I think I would have rather just stormed the base right then."

"I think we all wanted to save Mr. Luffy as quickly as possible" Robin responded "but now that the marines have what they want, they also have a hostage. If we had attacked then, they probably would have killed him. Paul said that our best bet was to find out what was really going on there and to get some of the marines there on our side… to get someone inside to be able to rescue him without them getting a heads up."

Usopp nodded, then prepared himself for the role of the first mate.

…

Robin and Usopp slowly walked through the hallway to where they had been told to return. Robin had a posh smile on her face, while her "first mate" Usopp trembled in his boots.

"Come on Mr. Liar" she chuckled "you of all people should be in your comfort zone here. Isn't pretending to be someone else your specialty?"

"You'd think that wouldn't you" he said sarcastically "but it's a lot easier to be confident when your not walking right into the heart of a marine base."

Robin just chuckled and then perked up as she spotted a man with a mustache walking their way carrying an old carpet.

"What perfect timing" she said happily as they stopped to greet their cook incognito.

"So what did you find out?" asked the marksman, looking down the hallway cautiously.

"Well, nothing yet…" Sanji replied.

"Nothing yet?!" Usopp shouted in a whisper "when do you plan on actually finding something out?"

"Will you shut up and let me finish" growled Sanji as he unrolled some of the rug to reveal the back of Bansi's head.

Usopp jumped back behind Robin and let out a squeak. "You found some dead guy!?"

"What?" Sanji and Bansi exclaimed together.

Realization lighted up on Usopp's face. "Ohhhh, Sanji you crafty devil you."

"Who is this?" Robin asked as she adjusted her coat.

"I don't have much time to explain, but I think he might be just what we're looking for. I'll tell you after we get out of here" he answered as he covered up Bansi's head again and readjusted his grip on the roll of carpet.

"Can I count on you guys to get Nami and meet me back at the Merry Go?" he asked.

They nodded and the two parties split ways with haste.

"Be safe Robin-chan!" Sanji shouted as he broke into a run, heading toward the exit.

Nami-

Nami sat anxiously in her cell. She had to be honest, she hadn't been too excited to be the one placed in the jail cell to hope that her crewmates would succeed and manage to get her out without fail… and also it smelled. She looked out the small cell window.

_Looks like the wind will be in our favor if we head out soon_, she thought to herself. She was a bit worried, but the faith she had in her crew had been proven time and time again and outweighed her fear. So she would wait for them.

Robin and Usopp-

"I see you have returned Captain Richardson" said the man who had been with them before. "I will lead you to the court room where "Mate" will get herself a fair trial. Of course, you guys should have too much to worry about because it's not like there will be anyone to vouch for her."

""Fair trial" he says" whispered Usopp as they made their way down the hallway.

They arrived at the court room after turning down a few hallways and taking a quick stroll outside to another building. They entered a generally small courtroom with a handful of people in the jury box. In the middle of the opposite wall was the judge and in a cubicle next to him was their beloved crewmate, Nami. She looked relieved to see them but still a bit nervous since she hadn't been a part of the "rescue mate" plan. They had made that up during after Nami had been turned in and Sanji went undercover; AKA, last second.

"Why would they put her up there rather than at a table like we're at?" Usopp asked.

"Probably because she doesn't have a lawyer and they want to get this over with. They would rather this look like she is already a criminal and finish this up quickly than actually doing things the right way."

"Heck, if I ever get caught and sent to trial, remind me to demand my rights."

"What trial? You're a pirate remember."

"If we may begin captain Richardson and first mate Kish" the judge said as he motioned for them to take a seat. They did.

Robin looked over at Usopp, waiting for him to make his scene with the lie they had planned beforehand. He was sweating horribly and had this nervous smile on his face, like he really wanted to just keep quiet. However, Usopp's desire to escape the courtroom as quickly as possible led him to finally interrupt the judge, who had been in the middle of his speech to the jury.

"Ahem" the marksman cleared his throat and stood up. "My sincerest apologies for the interruption, but there has been a change in plans due to some complications we had outside."

All of the eyes in the room were on him now and he began to sweat even more. The judge scowled, obviously not happy about the interruption.

"Y-you see" he started again, legs shaking "we have decided to drop all charges on "Mate" due to the fact that a friend of hers has offered us a large sum of berri to have us release her."

There was silence in the room and Usopp sat down, looking straight forward.

"A friend…?" the judge asked, taking off his glasses.

"Offered you money?"

"Y-yes!" Usopp responded.

Robin and Nami were begginingg to get a little more nervous now.

"Is this some kind of joke?"

Usopp looked over at Robin and then back to the judge.

"No, w-we're completely serious. She has a very good and wealthy friend that came to us after we turned Na- I mean "Mate" in and he asked us to drop the charges."

"Why didn't "Mate's" friend come to you before you wasted our time? Shouldn't they have been on the ship with you?"

"Well, you see" Usopp was digging deeper into his lie now "he's actually related to her, a-and he just so happened to live here. He found out about the trial and came to us as soon as he could. He's her very well-off uncle."

"Very well off aye?" asked the judge. "Who would that be? This is a small island, surely if he was wealthy we would have heard of him."

Usopp was taken back, but continued; this was not the first time he'd been tripped up in one of his stories. "I don't know, he keeps to himself, that's why we didn't even know he was here. His name is… Loro... Loro Ropper."

Robin and Nami both made faces at the very unoriginal name he had made up. It was so obviously fake that they wondered if they should just fight their way out right then or see how stupid the judge would be.

"Loro Ropper you say?" the judge asked cocking an eyebrow.

"Yes, Loro Ropper is his name."

The judge sighed "listen, I don't know why you had your crewmate arrested and then decided to get her out, but I'm not going to fall for that little story you just told."

The three became tense, ready for whatever was about to be said.

"However, I'm not going to bother trying to find out. You'll have to pay for wasting the government's time, but I have no reason to look any further into this, nor do I want to. You clearly are a confused group of people."

They all sighed at once. Maybe they were going to be able to get out scotch-free after all.

The trial was stopped and they were all taken to another room where Nami watched, with tear-filled eyes, as they paid their money.

Right as the handcuffs were removed an alarm blared throughout the hallways and rooms of the building.

"Crap!" Usopp shouted as the guard who had just removed Nami's handcuffs came to the realization that they were up to something.

"Seems Sanji's been found out!" Nami shouted as she kicked the guard to the floor before he could react.

Robin turned dashed to the door. "Miss Nami and Mr. Usopp, we've got to get out of here now!"

"Darn that cook! Now of all times!" Usopp shouted.

Luffy and Canaan-

Alvida felt a twinge of guilt as she watched Luffy, who had been running at his fastest pace for three hours making another one of his treks to the tree general Yu had assigned him. She just wanted him to stop. She couldn't believe that she was feeling pity for someone she had been so excited to put through misery, but she was just about to tell Yu to stop him.

Luffy was angry at his lungs. He wished they would stop being so demanding and let him breath like they always had, but they just wouldn't. He could run farther than most people due to his career choice which seemed to keep him on his toes, but this was different; back then he had a destination, but this was an endless cycle and he hated it. The fact that he was being suffocated by his own lungs distracted him from his legs that had been cramped up for the past hour.

Some of the commanders were eyeing general Yu wondering when he would put an end to the experiment.

"You're sick!" Canaan shouted from the chair "can't you see he's killing himself!"

_The captain had already tried to slow down but as he gasped for breath he looked over at Canaan who was expressionless. Yu nodded to one of the commanders who took the brightly tipped stoke from the coals. Luffy's eyes widened as the stoke was applied to the Elite's back. Canaan looked like nothing had happened yet, but Luffy was no fool and immediately picked up his pace. _

Black spots were filling Luffy's already blurred vision. He knew he wouldn't be able to go much further till he was finally relieved unto blessed unconsciousness. That was, unless he died from a lack of oxygen first. All he could feel was pain. At least his feet had gone numb but the burning of his lungs seemed to affect every inch of him now. His pace was slowing again but he was no longer in control. Then finally, his vision went black completely and consciousness left him.

"Monsters" Canaan growled in rage as he saw the raven haired boy's eyes roll into the back of his head as he dropped face first to the worn down grass, his body still gasping for breath.

"My word" gasped Yu "I've never seen a human with such stamina. Alvida, you sure knew who would be the best test subject when choosing this boy. His heart rate is off the charts… probably because its rubber and can handle more, but even then, it's amazing, simply amazing."

Alvida walked out of the building, glad that it was over. "Clearly he's reached his limits now" she said "so I must insist we get him back in good health before our next test."

"What?" Canaan yelled "So he can run himself to death again?!! You twisted people… He's a human being!"

Alvida once again felt that twinge of guilt at the words of the Elite, but she had come too far now.

"Care for the boy and get him some rest. I insist he have a few days before the next test" she said, looking over at general Yu.

"I guess it can't be helped" he sighed "this will give us time to set up the system based upon the information we got today." As he said this he walked over to Luffy, who was still gasping for air, and took the band from his arm.

"After your done caring for Straw Hat" he added "put him and Canaan in new quarters together."

Alvida walked over to him as he headed for the door.

"Why are you putting them together?" she whispered.

"We don't want Luffy to lose heart. Wouldn't it be better to let them build their friendship before our next test?" he responded as the door was opened and they walked out.

Canaan now had a permanent scowl on his face as he watched the Commanders roll the boy over and check his pulse and his eyes.

"Wouldn't want your test subject to be damaged now would we?" he asked in a bitter tone.

They ignored him. He couldn't call any of them by name, for he had never seen or heard of any of them before. He thought he had known who everyone was on the base, but these Commanders were all new to him. Of course, neither had he known that they were doing illegal seastone experiments underground either.

He was released from his chair and taken back into the dreary hallways. He wasn't taken back to his older cell, but another one that was quite a bit larger and had two cots. His scowl grew fiercer.

_So they want us to become good friends so they can use him again. Sick. It's like taking advantage of his human spirit of kindness and using it so that they can treat him like an animal. _

A few hours later Luffy was brought in and laid on the cot across the room from Canaan who remained silent, hoping not to wake the young captain.

_Enjoy your sleep Mugiwara, because when you awake you'll be feeling pretty crappy. _

Thanks to Luffy'sAngel for not giving up on me. I know it's been since February since I updated, but I think I might be able to make all of these puzzle pieces work and end this puppy. Don't worry though, there's a ton more stuff to come, but I think I have it somewhat figured out. Please don't quit on me, and if you like the fanfic, feel free to share it with people.

Oh, and your reviews really are my motivation to continue, so if you give any kind of crap about this story, do say something. Keep reminding me that I'm writing to someone rather than myself… cause I already know how the story ends ^_^ I just gotta have the motivation to put it in print. Which is you.

Yeah it's probably a crappy story, but I'll try and update again before Christmas break slips away.


	22. The Battle on the Stone Shore

-Nami, Robin, and Usopp

The escapees had succeeded in their attempt to break out of the government building that they had been in, but the chase was far from over. A crowd of marines chased their heels as then ran through the streets that had been cleared of civilians due to the racket and firing of guns that had made its way down the road. Robin took out a majority of the guards and Usopp dealt with the rest, firing heat balls into their throats.

That gave them enough clearance to get out of the city and to begin their trek through the trails that lead away to the outskirts of the island, where they intended to find the Merry Go. Guards could be heard behind them but there was still a bit of distance between them.

As they turned a corner, to their shock, they ran right into someone running in the opposite direction. Usopp had been in the lead and had taken most of the blow, but they all fell down together because the narrow trail had caused them to run single file.

"What the heck!?" Usopp growled as he rubbed his head and looked up to see Sanji rubbing his butt from the fall he had taken after their collision.

"Sanji, what do you think you're doing?" Nami asked "you were supposed to take Bansi back to the ship and get ready for our return!"

"I know" he said, getting up and brushing himself off "but I just couldn't stand to think that I had left you beautiful ladies to escape alone."

"Yeah, pay no never-mind to me" Usopp mumbled.

"Well, we could have taken care of ourselves" Nami sighed as she was helped up by the cook.

"Whatever the case" Robin started "we need to make haste to get back to the Merry Go, because those marines should be here at any moment… In fact, I don't know why they aren't here even now. "

"Right, let's go" Usopp said as they all began to run again.

The trail led them to an opening where, to their relief, was a shoreline to which their beloved ship was docked. It was a flat, rocky area with boulders scattered across of different sizes. The guards could no longer be heard in pursuit so the crew ran at a jog to get to the ship.

Suddenly, the group was hit by a shower of needles.

"Ouch!" Usopp shouted "What the heck kind of attack is that? I mean, it's annoying, but are you trying to catch us or trying to prick us to death?"

As he pulled out three needles which had lodged in his arm, he realized that there were strings attached to them which, as he followed them with his eyes, lead to a man standing atop a bolder who was covered with knives all over his body. He looked quite intimidating with all the weaponry, even to the point where his face was covered with a knife-like helmet.

The needles were pulled out of them by the strings they were attached to. The man yanked them to himself and then injected one of each of the needles into his forearm.

The group, knowing that it would be wiser to escape on the ship than to deal with a battle while the rest of the marines caught up, broke into a dead run. Zoro was cutting the ropes that held them to the shore, leaving one to hold them there until they boarded the ship.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light as a knife shot across the plain, straight toward Usopp. The marksman shouted in shock but reacted quickly enough to shoot a projectile in defense. The knife was blocked and Usopp quickly turned to run away. To everyone's shock, the knife did not fall harmlessly to the ground, but hovered in the air for a second as it rebounded from the block, then shot right back at the marksman's back. He ducked as quickly as he could but the knife still caught him in the shoulder, taking him to his knees.

"Usopp!" Sanji shouted, but he didn't have time to help the marksman because he had his own knives to deal with. Three were coming in his direction, as well as Robin's. He kicked one out of the way and dodged the other two; then made a break for Usopp, who was gripping his arm in pain. The blade was still lodged there but to Sanji's shock there was another two coming for Usopp, not to mention the three coming after him.

Thinking quickly, he yanked the dagger out of Usopp's arm, causing the marksman to shout out in pain, and pulled him up. Lifting his leg up, Sanji spoke swiftly. "Grab hold Usopp, and get ready to fly."

"Wait… What!?" Even as he asked, he grabbed a hold and did as the chef had instructed. There was no time to be asking questions.

With a powerful thrust, the cook shot his crewmate screaming at incredible speed in the direction of their ship, the two daggers following behind. The one he had just pulled out seemed to have lost its power, for when he released it, it just stuck into the ground where a puddle of Usopp's blood remained.

"That's it! The blades are drawn to our blood" he shouted to Robin, who was running from the knives chasing her. She crossed her arms and shouted out her attack as she summoned her arms out of the enemy's neck, intending to break it, but quickly realized that that was not the best idea. A smirk crossed the man's face and before she could remove her arms, the knives on his face shot out slicing her arms. She let out a shout as her own arms received the wounds.

"Smart woman" the man said "if you had pulled back any later and you would have lost your arms."

"Watch it Robin! I don't think you should be risking your devil fruit abilities with this guy" Sanji shouted as he kicked his own knives away again.

Nami had been building up a storm cloud over the man's head while all of this was happening. "Let's see how all of those metal blades handle a bolt of lightning" she said grinning.

"Thunderbolt Tempo!!"

There was a huge flash of light causing everyone to shield their eyes, but when they looked back to see what had happened they saw that the man had remained unscathed and all of the knives that had been on his body were now hovering in the air and had served as a lightning rod against Nami's attack. The electrified knives then shot toward the navigator before anyone could react. She let out a scream as a the shower fell upon her, but the wave of knives stopped inches from her body and then they all stuck together at the second one, conducting all of the electricity into it. Nami took her chance and turned to run but there was not enough time. She knife shot itself into her back under her shoulder blade. The ginger haired navigator let out a horrible scream as the pulses of electricity shot through her body. She collapsed unconscious to the ground.

"NAMI!" Sanji shouted in horror. He turned, enraged, toward the man who was laughing.

"You filthy…" Sanji growled.

"That's right" the man said "I ate the magnet magnet fruit which allows me to change any substance into a magnet as long as I have a sample. Now that I have your blood, I can direct any of my knives to be magnetized to you!"

Meanwhile, Usopp had crash landed right on to Zoro, who was about to head their way and assist them. Luckily, he had spotted the two knives shooting in their direction in time to regain his bearings and block them with his swords. Usopp thought quickly and dove for the cabin door, shutting it quickly behind him. One knife lodged into the door, while the other shot toward the swordsman.

"What the heck!?" Zoro shouted as he blocked the persistent knife. Usopp himself was confused for a moment, but as he watched through the window, he noticed that Zoro had his blood on his shirt.

"Zoro" he shouted through the crack in the door "I think it's going for my blood! Quick, take off your shirt!"

"Alright!" the swordsman shouted as he proceeded to split the blade in half; then before the two projectiles returned, he quickly ripped off his shirt and jumped away. To their relief, the blades went straight to the shredded cloth and lodged in the wood.

They both let out a sigh, and then it was back into action. Usopp took a smear of blood and put it on the back of the door to keep the last blade occupied, and then quickly went to wrap his wound before he lost too much blood. Zoro dashed off the ship to assist his other crewmates ashore and to get them back safely.

Robin knew she had to block the two knives or stop them somehow. She took some of the blood from her arms and spattered it on the rocks beside her. One of the knives strayed from its course and skidded into the rocks, sending bright sparks everywhere; but the other knives continued to shoot straight toward her. Hoping to catch the handles before they reached her, she grew a new pair of arms out of her hands. To her shock, the blades changed course slightly and went straight for her hands instead of her body. She let out a shout and braced for impact, but instead, the blonde chef came out of nowhere and kicked them away.

"Robin" he said "this is not an opponent you should be fighting. His powers are too well set against yours. You should get out of here and let me handle him until it's time to go, and you can grab me before we ship off."

Robin frowned. "Sanji, I can't leave you here."

The cook ignored her as he jumped away from the three knives flying in his direction and then shoved her to the ground just as her pair flew at her. He did a spinning kick to the projectiles, knocking them off course once again.

"You have to run" he said as he helped her up and then pushed her off towards the ship.

"I told you, I can't leave y-" Robin started but she was interrupted by Zoro's shout from behind them.

"Robin! Sanji! Look out!"

The knives were already shooting back at the two at incredible speed. Sanji blocked two with a kick, (he didn't know if they were his or Robin's now) but the other three were right behind them. They jumped away from each other and the blades divided two toward Robin and one at Sanji. Sanji slammed his knife to the ground with a downward kick, shoving it vertically into the ground. It stuck there and he immediately directed his attention back to Robin. She had diverted one of the knives with another spatter of blood in another direction. For the other one, she had taken her captains cloak and swept it in front of the blade, catching it in the cloth. However, she was having trouble keeping the knife from ripping through the garment. She quickly took some more of her blood and spread it onto the knife.

Feeling a rush of wind she looked up, looking in shock as two more knives came flying in her direction. There was no time to react so she braced herself for the impact. She heard the sound of the blades puncturing flesh, but felt no pain. Looking up, she saw Sanji standing in front of her. One blade had gone straight through his hand and the other had lodged in his uplifted foot.

"Sanji!" she shouted, but he didn't respond. Instead he yelled over at Zoro.

"Take him out Zoro! Just don't let him stick you with any of those needles! That's how he gets these knives to target us!"

Zoro nodded and immediately began to sprint toward his opponent, knowing the urgency of the situation.

The man laughed. "You think you can beat me just because I don't have your blood? Well, I can do much more than shooting magnetized knives at people!"

With that, the man began to throw dozens of blades toward Zoro at once.

"What the heck?" Zoro shouted "you're doing the same thing you've been doing this whole time, just without the magnets!"

"Think what you like!" the man shouted in response.

Zoro did notice that not all of the knives were being thrown directly at him. Maybe the guy just had bad aim. There was no time to stop and check. He continued to charge the man as he blocked the blades that were coming at him in, what seemed to be, an even pattern.

Suddenly, the pattern was thrown off and he spotted a needle flying towards him. However, he was already caught up in blocking the knives and it was too late to switch to blocking it.

The needle, however, did not hit him, but had instead stuck into an arm that was coming out of his chest. He looked over to see Robin with her arms crossed in front of her.

"Thanks Robin!" he shouted as grabbed the thin string connected to the needle. He wrapped it around his hand and yanked it down, pulling the man connected to it smashing into the ground.

"Arg!" the man shouted "that's it! No more playing around! Get ready to meet your maker!"

Suddenly, all around them, a wall of knives rose from the ground, all pointing inward.

"AHAHA! I guess you guys didn't consider the fact that I can magnetize myself!"

"What the heck!?" Sanji shouted "Zoro, keep Robin safe! It will be easier since you don't have any magnetized blades targeting you! I have to take this guy out now!"

"Wha?" Zoro started, but it was too late. The wall of knives had already begun to pour upon them and Sanji had taken off at a blinding speed towards their opponent. Zoro dove to where Robin was and got between her and the raining knives. He doubted he could stop all of them.

It was a race for time as Sanji took a leap toward the blade wielding man. The man laughed and took from his waist two large blades. Sanji did not hesitate as he brought his leg up and, with a powerful force, slammed it down towards the man who, in turn, swung his thick knives up into his attacker. One of the blades lodged in the cooks hamstring, and the other was thrust into his stomach. He gave a cry of agony but despite that, his powerful attack could not be prevented and his leg came smashing down into the man's face.

A shockwave pulsed across the rocky shoreline and the swarm of knives dropped, leaving a heap around where Zoro had been blocking Robin. The swordsman bent over panting. His body had no healed enough to prepare him for that much activity. However, his focus went to his blonde crewmate who had collapsed in a puddle of blood beside their opponent.

"Sanji, you moron!" he shouted as he ran to the cook's side. "You can't go getting yourself hurt like this when you know we don't have Chopper around to patch you up."

"Shut up" Sanji coughed out. The blonde's eyes were closed tightly and his breaths were coming out in painful gasps. Zoro looked at the large knife sticking out of his stomach and looked up at Robin wondering what to do.

"Don't take the knives out yet" she said "we need to get back to the ship and to the medical supplies before we risk him losing any more blood."

Suddenly they heard gunshots and bullets spat into the ground around them. "Well there's no time to waste" Zoro growled, picking up his injured crewmate. Robin grabbed the still unconscious Nami and they rushed back to their ship. Sanji grimaced but held back a shout as his injuries were jolted as they ran.

Their escape went smoothly and soon the Merry Go was sailing away, leaving the marines on shore. Robin turned to look back and noticed three figures standing silhouetted against the hazy sky. They made her uneasy knowing they were looking down at them from that cliff. Was this too easy? Well, it definitely wasn't easy… but they had gotten away without even one military ship trailing them.

She turned back to take Nami to the medical room. She had the most medical experience in the crew, next to Chopper, and her crewmates were in dire need of help.

Luffy and Canaan

Luffy slowly opened he eyes and allowed them to wander around his cell room.

"_Guess I passed out" _he thought to himself. He went to move his legs but immediately he felt his muscles tense and a shot of pain shot up his body. He felt like his muscles were tying in knots and he let out a wheeze of frustration.

"Don't try to move" he heard the marine say from beside him "you're bound to be cramping up."

"Too late" Luffy grimaced as he clenched his sheets with his hands.

Canaan walked over to the bed and began to massage the raven haired boy's legs hoping to ease the tension and to relieve some of the pain.

Luffy kept silent and hoped that the pain would go away soon. He turned his face to the wall, hoping to hide the fact that he was upset. He couldn't ignore the emptiness he felt in his heart now that his crew was gone . He was sure they hadn't abandoned him, he knew his crew better than that, but where had they gone? How long would they leave him here to be experimented on?

"I'm sure you're missing your crew" Canaan started, breaking the silence "but don't worry. I'm sure that whatever time they are taking to get you is all for your best benefit. Think about it. How hard would it be for these people here to execute you? It's different from when you saved your crewmates. You are being held deep inside of an underground marine base. If they were to attack, you could easily be killed before they got to you. So they're probably planning a strategical way to get you back rather than charging in like you guys are so well accustomed to doing."

Luffy turned his head to look at the marine who continued to work on his legs. "Why did you guys help us?"

Canaan looked up for a second then looked back down at his hands as he explained. "Because there's more to making decisions than just doing what you're told or acting the way you're expected to act. Though those things are important in some circumstances, I don't base my actions upon what the world says. When we start to base right and wrong on what "everyone else" says is right or wrong there is no limit to how corrupt we can become."

Luffy pushed himself up on his elbows. "Then how do you decide what is right and wrong?"

"Absolute truth", the marine responded looking back at Luffy. "A truth that does not change according to society or opinions. An absolute truth that God alone can delegate. A truth that judges man according to his actions and not by who he is."

Luffy smiled. "Like a pirate or a marine."

"Right" Canaan replied.

"So what made you side with us?"

Canaan frowned and looked at the wall. "When I first came here, this was a regular marine base created to train marines and to hold legit criminals. However, a few years ago a man discovered that this island is filled with more sea stone than any other location on the grand line. This was a few years before I found Sky who was caught in the eruption that occurred a while ago. That was when a new general came, as well as a small army of commanders. Soon after that our president was put in charge. There wasn't much argument and soon things were back to normal except that fewer and fewer criminals were brought in and a ton of construction was done under the island. At first I thought it was to mine the sea stone and send it to the world government, but we never saw it transported out of here."

Luffy blinked and gave a blank look. "So, this is a sea stone island…"

Canaan chuckled "pretty much yeah."

"We've all been suspicious, but when we were set up to capture you specifically, we all grew a lot more skeptical of what is going on around here. Its all clear now, but I don't know how much the men outside-"

"Hey, wait" Luffy interrupted "you were supposed to only capture me? Then why … my crew was captured and…"

"Well, you weren't with them so they had to use them to bait you."

Luffy let his head fall back into his pillow. "So, was my rescuing them supposed to be easy?"

Canaan looked up "heck no! They wanted all of you of course. We didn't know at the time but now I know that general Yu would have used your crew to force you to do his tests. Just like how he's using me. You should be really glad they got away. I can't imagine how hard it would be for them to watch you suffer for their sake. It's not right for you to take all the pain on yourself. You should let me take it next time. If you keep doing what you're told their going to get exactly what they want."

"I know that dang it!" Luffy shouted "but I can't let anyone hurt my friends if I can help it!"

"So I'm your friend?" Canaan asked cocking his head. "How can you trust me so easily?"

"I'd rather trust you blindly than be stuck in here with no one. If that makes me a fool… I'd rather be a fool than live life in suspicion. "

"It's much easier to find a liar in this world than an honest man, but even so, I agree" Canaan responded.

He looked over at the raven haired captain and smiled seeing that he had fallen asleep again. "Sleep well" he said as he headed toward his own bed.

Orrin slipped out of the shadow he had been crouching in for the past thirty minutes. The alarms had been turned off but he knew they were still looking for him. If they wanted to catch him he wouldn't make it easy for them. He knew these dark hallways as well as any of them and intended to get to Alvida before they got another whiff of him. He knew she would be going to her office soon, and there he would confront her.

He ran through the lighted parts of the passageway and slipped into the next dark space; stopping to listen. He knew he wouldn't be walking into her room through the door, so soon he would have to get back into the crammed vents. He didn't like getting into them because they were filled with the stench of that odd gas and it was hard to keep from coughing. That was what had alerted them of him in the first place, but sometimes it was the only way to get past someone in the narrow hallways without being caught. The bad thing was that they knew he had been in the vents and would be checking for him.

He typed in the key code and slipped into one of the older cells. Once in, he proceeded to take out some tools to get the vent open. The old cells were less secure and, with the right tools, they were an excellent means to get into the ventilation.

He took a breath of fresh air and slipped in, re-sealing where he had come. There wasn't a light source for him to guide himself with, but he knew where he was going. He had long planned to get to Alvida and knew just how far till the next turn that would take him down the hallway that led to her office.

Alvida slumped in her chair. This wasn't nearly as satisfying as she had thought it would be. Catching that straw hat and finally getting one up on him had seemed like such a splendid plan, but all she could do now was feel sick to her stomach with how things were playing out.

Suddenly she heard a noise from above her and looked up to see one of her ceiling tiles being popped out of position.

"What the…!" she started, but was interrupted by a "shhh" from whoever was in her ceiling. She then saw Orrin pop his head out from the hole.

"ORRIN!?" she yelped in shock "what the heck are you doing here!?"

He dropped silently to her desk and put his hand to her mouth. "Sheash, don't you know what "shhh" means?"

She pushed his hand away but lowered her tone to a whisper. "What are you doing here?"

Before answering he jumped over to the door and locked it and then walked back to her desk like he had just walked in as an invited guest.

"I've come to warn you of something big going on here Alvida. These people aren't who you think they are and you aren't going to get what you think you're getting."

Alvida leaned forward and gave Orrin a confused look. "Why would you tell me this? I betrayed you remember."

"You betrayed the Buggy Pirates, but not me. Now you have to hear me out. These people intend to use Luffy as their little experiment until they get what they want, and then they WILL kill him, as well as anyone else who was involved who's not in on their scheme. That includes you Alvida."

Alvida frowned. "But I am in on their "scheme" in case you didn't notice." she responded harshly.

"You're right" Orrin replied "you are a part of their scheme, but you don't know what role you're actually playing."

To be continued…

Well, there's another chapter. Don't worry guys, Nami and Robin will do some hardcore fighting later. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and feel free to leave a review. I don't know when the next one will be out *depends on my schedule* but I do have a plan that will lead this story to its conclusion… eventually.


	23. Things Need Explaining

Alvida frowned at Orrin and turned her back to him. "You expect me to believe every word that comes out of your mouth? I have every reason to stay here. I get whatever I want, and once we succeed in developing this new seastone gas, I will be rolling in more beri than I could spend in a lifetime… Look, I know that we once thought we could be something together… but it's come too far now to go back. My greed won out over my love and it's too late. You should have learned that from the first-"

"Be quiet" Orrin interrupted "feel free to explain why you don't believe me, but do so after you hear me out."

Alvida was silent.

"This setup may seem like the perfect scheme for you Alvida. You get whatever you want and don't have to worry about running from marines; and soon you will be filthy rich. You've allowed yourself to be blinded from the truth because the lie is so darn appealing to you. In truth, you are only a decoy for these men. Whether this illegal experimentation is uncovered, or if you successfully produce you're seastone gas, you can be their scapegoat when this whole regime is brought out to the public."

"Hey wait" Alvida interrupted "what do you mean illegal experimentation? This is a marine base. This is where laws are enforced. What's all this about illegal stuff and me being a scapegoat?"

"You really did your research I can tell" Orrin scoffed. "Just so you know, experimenting with seastone gasses has been deemed illegal by the world government. Apparently when the testing was first started, the scientist accidentally killed several test subjects due to the gas toxins entering their bodies. They decided that the experimentation was inhumane and outlawed it. I'm sure you've discovered how inhumane it can be just by watching how Straw Hat has been treated."

Alvida frowned and looked away.

Orrin continued, "General Yu has been the most influential piece to make this operation possible but he is actually working for a higher up who is stationed at a neighboring island. This man's name is Gracin and he has funded this whole shady business-"

There was a knock at the door that interrupted Orrin's explanation. He quickly took a small snail phone out of his pocket and walked up to Alvida, looking straight into her eyes.

"Whether you believe me or not, use this if there is an emergency. I will do my best to come to your aid. Alvida, I know that you're greedy and selfish, but I also know that those attributes are linked to your unreasonable desire for power. It's what everyone wants… to be in control and to be secure; but to you it is more important because of what we lost those many years ago. Keep in mind, gaining the power you desire may indeed give you the ability to keep and protect what you want, but when you lose the balance between the power to protect something and the thing that makes it worth protecting, all you will be left with is a bunch of control but nothing to fill the emptiness inside of you."

The knock became louder and a voice on the other side called Alvida's name, asking if she was ok.

"I'm fine" she shouted in response, "I just needed some alone time!" She then pushed Orrin away from her and, gesturing towards the hole in the ceiling he had come out of, she concluded their meeting,

"You should go" she said "I know there was a time when we could both trust each other, but once you betray a friend's confidence, it's hard not to expect the same in return. I know I deceived you, and now I feel that I can't trust anyone anymore."

Orrin chuckled. "Funny how things come back to bite you" he said as he began to climb back into the vent above, "but don't think all people reason like you do. You may not care about the trust between us, but that doesn't mean I don't."

That was the last thing he said before slipping off into the ventilation system he had grown accustomed to.

Alvida slouched back into her chair and covered her eyes with her hand.

"Trust" she mumbled "sure it's wonderful when it's never been broken. Even if it was someone else who ruined their integrity, I would just not have faith in them… but when I am the stain that affects every pure trust, I can no longer enjoy its simplicity…"

A tear fell from where it had trickled down her cheek to her chin.

"Orrin… why must you force me to remember when we once believed in one another? I thought I could get used to living life wary of everyone, but seeing your face again…"

The voice on the other side of the door called out once again "President, General Yu is requesting he meets with you immediately."

Alvida let out a loud sigh, wiped her face so to hide any sign that she had been upset, then sat up, scooting up to her desk. "Ok, send him in."

Sanji had been patched up as much as Robin's medical experience could provide. He had been fading in and out of consciousness in accordance to the aggressiveness of his fever. The crew had been tending to him for several hours and the panic ensued by the idea that their blonde crewmate might not survive had finally passed and the Merry Go was silent as its passengers rested. All that could be heard was the sound of the waves hitting the bow and the creak of wood as the sails propelled the ship forward.

Bansi had been tended to and, after a few hours of rest, the members of the crew that were not bed-ridden got together on the deck to discuss their rescue plan. Since Sanji was unable to take part in the meeting, no one had a good idea as to what Bansi could bring to the table so everyone was anxious to find out what information he had that Sanji had figured was so important.

After they had taken a seat in a circle, Zoro took the authority to start the discussion, "ok, so if our cook didn't already inform you, we are a crew of pirates whose only priority right now is to rescue our captain who has been captured at a marine base on an island not far from here. We would usually just charge in and save him by force but we have no idea where he is being held other than the fact that he is underground. I don't really know who you are but Sanji must have figured you could help us so, how can you help us?"

Bansi closed his eyes, appeared to sort through his thoughts, and then with a breath began. "My nephew and I had joined the Pirate Alvida's crew several months ago but she betrayed us and hooked up with a group of marines, taking the majority of the crew captive in the process. However, she spared my nephew Orrin and I to go free, because what you should know is that Orrin and Alvida were close childhood friends, and as time went on, their relationship became more intimate. I don't believe their feelings toward each other have changed, but Alvida has developed an obsessive desire for power and security-"

"Hey hey" Usopp interrupted "what the heck does this have to do with our captain and this marine base?"

Bansi continued "Alvida betrayed our crew to take part in a secret kind of experimentation done by the government in regards to the element of sea stone."

The crew's eyes lit up; finally something that made sense.

"I believe that over the years of her pirating career she began to feel insecure about her own ability to captain a crew. Due to her own insecurity she would force her crew members the constantly praise her and acknowledge her power; however, after a few embarrassing defeats, even that could not keep her satisfied. I believe your captain was a major factor in her loss in confidence, because he singlehandedly took out her and her entire crew in a matter of minutes."

"That must have been before he met any of us" Zoro commented.

"Actually" Nami butted in "I was there that day when he did that." All eyes on the ship turned towards the navigator. "Yeah, I actually robbed her that day and came upon Luffy by chance. Funny how things work out isn't it?" She chuckled a bit to herself.

"Anyway" Bansi continued "Orrin and I met up with her after that happened and Orrin had brought her the devil fruit with hopes that it would give her a change of heart and the confidence she needed. However, a combination of what happened between you guys and the marines before you entered the Grand Line and some humiliations afterward just made things worse and that's how she ended up where she is now."

"That's crazy" said Usopp "being with Luffy all of the time, we would just expect our captain to take a defeat and shake it off without a second thought, but I guess he's kind of unique in that regard."

"Yeah yeah" Zoro entered with nonchalance "that's all very moving and fascinating, but how is that going to help us get Luffy back. We came to that island to figure that out and I'd be very disappointed if Sanji went through all of that trouble just so we could hear some sob story about a pirate who couldn't own up to anything and went Marine."

"Alright" Bansi replied "I'll cut to the chase. The island your captain is being held at was discovered to be the central source of what you would call "sea stone" a few years ago. Deep within this island is a massive supply of liquid sea stone that is the rawest state of the element, which is extremely valuable in regards for experimentation of the material."

The crew looked at each other with worry. They knew what that stone was capable of doing to a devil fruit user and the word "experimentation" sparked fear in their hearts for their young captain.

"Here's where it gets sticky" added Bansi "shortly after people began to experiment on human beings, it was deemed illegal by the world government due to the inhumanity of it. However, some branches of the government have members who feel strongly about what can be produced out of this material and have been developing this controlled lab underground at the marine base you just came from. They have been working to produce a transportable gas form of the sea stone to use in against large groups of devil fruit users. You see, the problem is not producing the gas, but making it mobile."

"So that's why Chopper was having such a hard time while he was on the island. His nose is more sensitive and he was smelling the fumes from the gas" said Robin as she began to grasp the situation.

"Alvida is to be their scapegoat" Bansi added "once they get what they want out of these experiments they will turn her in as the criminal who had initiated the studies and then they would get the profits of the discovery."

Usopp rubbed his head "you know that makes since in a complicated kind of way… but I still can't really draw a line between this situation and our captain? Maybe Alvida has some kind of grudge against him for crushing her ego?"

Bansi turned to the marksman "well, I'm not entirely certain as to why your captain was captured or why you guys are involved in all of this. I haven't been out of that prison long enough to get any recent information. I only know what my nephew Orrin has researched, and he left for the island a few weeks ago. I would hope there was more to this than just a grudge Alvida has on you guys. It seems a little farfetched to assume she would go that far for revenge against one of many opponents who crushed her self esteem."

Luffy woke up to the smell of meat that was beginning to fill the room. He quickly sat up (ignoring the protest of his sore muscles) and looked around for the source. Canaan was walking back from the door carrying a huge platter of steak. Luffy wasted no time to stretch his arms and snag three or four from the pile and shove them into his mouth.

"Hey! I have to eat too ya know" Canaan growled as he quickly saved himself a piece of steak before the rest were inhaled by the ravenous captain. "Looks like you're feeling better" he said as he sat down to eat his meal. He had thought that the marine had brought way too much food when he first saw the pile of meat, but from the looks of it there hadn't been nearly enough. Looking up at the security camera, he wondered if they would be bringing any more food soon, considering that their guinea pig was scarfing it down like it was an appetizer.

Luffy sighed as he swallowed the last bit of steak. "I guess they want me to be good and healthy for the next round of "testing"; like a fattened pig in a way."

Canaan looked over at Luffy and raised his eyebrows. He wasn't expecting the captain to have thought that through, especially since he had gone right ahead and eaten all he could get his hands on.

"Well, they're gonna use me anyway, I might as well not starve while they're at it" Luffy said with good humor in his voice. He seemed to have gotten off the emotional train he had been on for the last few nights. Now he was seemingly nonchalant over the whole situation, and Canaan was perfectly happy keeping it that way. He figured they'd give Luffy a few more days to rest up so he would be an acceptable test subject.

Alvida slouched unhappily in her chair. Orrin's words were coming to form as a migraine at the back of her head that was working its way to the front. Why would he have come back unless he was serious about all of this? But there in lies another problem. Why the heck would he come back to tell her that she was in trouble after she had cut all ties with him and betrayed him? Revenge maybe?

There was a knock at the door and, to Alvida's relief, the distraction distracted her from the thoughts that had been tormenting her, though the noise made her head throb.

"Come in" she said as she rubbed her temple.

General Yu walked into to room; adorned in his usual garb, and his face showing more of a scowl than usual.

Alvida decided to start the conversation, "so did you catch the intruder?"

General Yu looked a little taken back for a moment, then his expression switched back to its usual business-only air.

"No, but we will" he replied.

To be continued…

-authors note: I know it's taken me wayyyy too long to update. As you can imagine this chapter was a little rough to get together cause it was a lot of explaining and not a lot of straight up action or whatnot. I intend to finish this story believe it or not ^_^ please review to keep me going. I need to feel like I'm writing for someone other than just myself.


	24. Red Light Green Light

Suspicion was growing throughout the ranks of marines as the authority figures continued to refuse to give any explanation as to what had happened to Canaan and Sky. Their role on the island was starting to lose its reasonable purpose because whatever prisoners they had captured had been locked away somewhere they didn't know, and they hadn't been given any orders other than to keep an eye out for anyone who might be trying to sneak into their base. The lack of responsibility left plenty of time for the men to develop their own conspiracy theories as to what was really going on; none of which had any logical proof to back it up.

Finally they had been pushed to their limits and they started to demand the release of Sky since they could see no reason to keep him imprisoned. After they were refused, they began to threaten to leave or contact the authorities. Once they crossed the line of civility, General Yu decided it best to appease them somewhat; at least until they completed the seastone gas testing.

- Alvida and General Yu -

"So what did you want to speak with me about" Alvida asked, changing the subject.

General Yu shifted his weight as the built up tension was lost. "Yes, I came to tell you that there has been trouble rising up amongst them men and that they have been demanding the release of Sky. I have reason to believe that he was involved with the break out of Luffy's crew, however, the men have become very… outspoken about the situation and I'm beginning to believe that keeping Sky imprisoned would do more harm to our operation than help."

Alvida leaned back and sighed. Had Orrin not visited and cause her to doubt, she would have refused to release him, but with the way things were starting to work out she decided that it would be best if he were out of their hair.

"Yes" she answered "we have enough to deal with at the moment than revolting marines. The seastone gas comes first; then we can deal with the men."

Yu nodded then spoke up again. "Speaking of which, I believe that the boy has built up enough of his strength so that he is ready for the next step in the experimentation process."

Alvida looked up. She doubted the Luffy was rested enough to be up to the challenge, but she understood that time was of the essence; or was there another reason behind the general's rush?

"Are you sure he'll be fit enough for this next step" she asked anyway to see how Yu would respond.

"I'm sure you haven't forgotten why we chose that boy in the first place" he answered. "Due to his devil fruit abilities, his body can take a lot more physical strain than your average test subject. I know that you two had somewhat of a negative history, so I doubt you have too much of a problem if he is made a bit… uncomfortable… throughout the procedure."

Alvida swallowed, remembering back to the humiliating defeat that the young pirate had given her singlehandedly. Why was she losing her desire to get her vengeance on him now, when she finally had her chance? No, she had come too far now to suddenly get a change of heart.

"You're right" she answered "go ahead and begin the next phase of the testing. Let me know when everything is ready so that I can join you.

General Yu nodded and then turned and walked out of the room without another word.

- Sky-

There was a creaking of a cell door which caused Sky to wake from his light sleep and look over to see, who he would have thought was the doctor who had been in and out on occasion, only to see a commander walk in and motion for him to get up and follow him. Sky figured there wouldn't be much point in refusing so he grabbed his few belongings and followed. They walked down a few short hallways and were soon outside. Sky blinked as his one good eye took in the direct sunlight that he had been deprived of for so long. As his focus cleared, he was shocked to see a crowd of marines huddled around the door; grinning like he had just walked into a surprise party.

"Here he is" the commander mumbled, turning to removed Sky's shackles "just as you asked." Sky cocked his head with a questioning look, chancing an amused grin at the giddy marines standing around. After he was released the commander turned him around and gave him a light push to the crowd. He recognized several of the men as the ones who had been in his own regiment.

"The president and generals have taken to account your requests and have decided to release Sky to you, but his he has been demoted from his position as general to elite."

Grumbling could be heard throughout the crowd but no one raised any upfront objections; not wanting to push their luck. Sky smiled to himself. To be honest, he felt that he fit into the role of elite much more so than a leadership position of general anyway.

"If anyone suspects him of any questionable activity do not hesitate to inform us" the commander finished. He then turned and walked back into the building, leaving the lower ranking marines to celebrate the return of their beloved x-general.

- Luffy and Canaan -

Canaan was shocked at Luffy's incredible recovery rate. It had only been two days since the experiment and the captain was already restless in the prison cell. He was constantly wondering the small room, looking for anything to keep him entertained. Canaan felt like he had some kind of responsibility to provide that entertainment, so he after talking began to lose its affect, he started to get more creative.

"I have an idea" he said after Luffy had failed for the twentieth time to balance the tin plates like a castle, "how about we play hide and seek?"

The captain's face flashed with excitement for one second, but it quickly transformed into an annoyed scowl as he turned to look at Canaan. "Oh you're hilarious" he growled at the grinning elite.

"Tell you what" Canaan said, keeping up the sarcastic sincerity in his voice "I'll be "IT" first so you go ahead and hide. I'll count to thirty; that should give you plenty of time to find somewhere out of sight."

"Oh, alright" Luffy responded, now joining the elite in the sarcastic tone "but how will I decide which place to hide? There such a huge amount of-"

"One…" Canaan began to count.

"Hey idiot" Luffy said with annoyance "there's nowhere to-"

"Two…"

"We can't play thi-"

"Three…"

"Oh I see how it is. You get to win because there's-"

"Four…" the marine was growing amused with how seriously the captain was taking his unfair advantage.

"FINE! I'll beat you anyw-"

"Five…"

Canaan kept his eyes shut but he heard a shuffling behind him and what sounded like a gush of air.

He finished his count down and opened his eyes. The room was tiny and its furnishings consisted of two small beds, a table, a sink and a toilet. They had really outdone themselves with the interior designs.

He took his time making his way to the beds, slowly crouching down and peeking underneath. He blinked in surprise to discover that the captain was not underneath. He let his eyes scan the empty space once again before standing up again in confusion. There was literally nowhere else that the boy could have hidden.

"What the heck?" he said aloud, looking to room over. He glanced up, wondering if he had somehow gotten up to the ceiling. It was just as barren as the space beneath the beds had been.

Canaan couldn't think if any other place the captain could have hidden, so the only other option was that he had found some way to escape… but that was impossible.

"Alright Luffy" he sighed "I give up, you win."

"HAHA!"

Canaan jumped at the boy's voice behind him. He turned but he only saw the sink and the toilet on the opposite wall.

"Where the heck did you hide?"

Canaan's heard a grunt as his response. It was coming from the toilet…

"Don't tell me you…" Canaan walked over to the toilet but the bowl was empty.

"Urg" he heard Luffy's voice squeak out "a little help here."

"No way… you… you…" Canaan slowly removed the lid from the back of the toilet to find a miniature Luffy squished inside.

"Quick" the little Luffy squeaked out "before I go back to my normal size."

Canaan laughed out loud but quickly helped the captain out; realizing the urgency of the situation.

Luffy laughed as well, and a second later he was back to his normal size, his laugh growing deeper. "I'll have to keep that one in mind when I get back on the Merry Go."

Canaan assumed he was talking about his pirate ship; "you… is hide-and-seek something that pirates do in their free time or something?"

"Does that surprise you or something?" Luffy responded "of course it's pretty obvious you don't play it much" he added, sticking out his tongue.

Suddenly there was a sound at the door and it was opened by two commanders. The light mood that had formerly saturated the room was lost and the two prisoners both frowned at the intruders.

"Alright, time to go" said one of the commanders as he raised his gun. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

Canaan and Luffy looked at each other, and realizing that putting up a fight would only make things worse for the both of them.

There were two more commanders in the hallway, and the four of them split up, two to each prisoner. Canaan was taken to the testing room and Luffy was taken to the lab where he was to be prepped for the experiment again. He frowned. _I can't wait to kick that man's butt when my crew gets me out of here._

- the crew-

The sun was beginning to set as Zoro paced the deck anxiously. He was glad that the island wasn't far from the marine base, but every minute felt like an hour knowing that his captain was being experimented on, with no one there for him.

He growled. Luffy had given so much of himself for his crew, and now that he needed them most they couldn't be there for him.

"Just hang on a little longer captain" he said aloud, wishing that Luffy could understand that they hadn't abandoned him.

He turned to look behind them, and for a moment he thought he spotted a glimmer of light from a distant ship, but it was lost from his sight as quickly as it had come.

- Luffy and Canaan-

Luffy was lead to the testing room once again; dreading what would be expected of him this time. He walked in and things seemed to be exactly as he'd left them (at least how they had been before he had passed out). Canaan was bound to the same chair, Alvida and that general were standing beside the small room, probably waiting to give him instructions before they went inside, and the commanders were standing around. There were a bit more today than the previous time.

"Welcome back Luffy" general Yu said with a hint of a smile "I hope you're feeling better."

Luffy didn't bother responding.

"Now that we know your limits and what to expect from you, we can begin testing out our product. You're job is easy; just do what you would do naturally if you were being attacked by these men" he said, motioning to the commanders who gave him cocky glances.

Luffy once again didn't bother giving him a response; he just looked over at Canaan and gave him a look of "let's just get this over with."

If looks could kill, the one Canaan was giving the commanders would have led to a massacre. He didn't know these men. They had not been at that base for any of the years he had served there and he doubted they were legitimately ranked in the marines. He assumed they were fighters for higher with the label "commander" smacked onto their coats.

General Yu and Alvida made their way into the small building as two men in lab coats made their way to Luffy, who eyed the guns the commanders were holding but didn't take any action to resist, knowing that he would probably get drugged up with whatever the weapons were loaded with.

They strapped the same device to him as they had the previous time and then they stripped him of his shirt.

"What the heck?" he said as they took it away and saw them bring over a small bucket of bright blue paint.

They then started to paint large X's over different parts of his chest, afterwards moving on to small X's on parts of his arms and legs.

"Oh come on" complained one of the commanders "you expect us to avoid all of those!"

"We've told you" the man in the lab coat responded with an annoyed tone "these are vital area's that we cannot afford you hitting. If the subject dies we would have to start all over from scratch and no progress would have been made."

Luffy looked down. Two large X's covered his lungs, one covered his heart, he noted some more covering his other vital organs, and the ones on his arms and legs he assumed were arteries or something or the sort.

"I'm relieved you care so much for my well-being" he told the man, saturating his words with sarcasm.

The man just smiled at him, checked the device one more time, and then turned and walked away; giving a thumbs-up to the people in the small building. There were two lights attached to its outer wall and the green one came on a few seconds afterwards.

Immediately one of the commanders took a dash towards Luffy, who quickly sidestepped, sending the man a couple more feet before he could skid to a stop and change directions. The captain smiled. "At least I'll be able to let some frustration out on you guys before they shove me back into that cell again."

Two more commanders came at him; one with a sword and the other with his bare fists. Luffy decided to deal with the sword wielding opponent before worrying about the other so he dodged the swipe or the sword, then in the same motion he grabbed the wrist of its owner. He let his free arm send an elbow right into the man's jaw; not releasing the wrist, he held the dazed man prisoner as he then lifted his elbow again, but this time bringing it down on the man's sword-wielding arm. A sickening crack was heard and the man let out a scream, collapsing to the ground.

He felt the blow to his gut he was expecting. He knew that he couldn't just play around with one marine at a time and expect not to suffer the consequences of ignoring the others, but all he really wanted to do was brutally take them down and enjoy it. There was another blow to his stomach before he regained his bearings and swung at the man, who dodged his strike, sending another one to his jaw with an uppercut. Luffy let his head swing back with the punch, bringing it repelling back like a slingshot into the man's face. If he couldn't win out against this guy in a fist fight, he'd just have to play dirty.

He heard a rush of air and quickly jumped as an arrow that had been aimed at his legs flew by. Another two were shot his way, which he avoided by swinging his arms to maneuver himself in the air.

Suddenly, a metal ball was thrown into the mix from somewhere he hadn't had time to discover. He eyed it cautiously as he continued to battle the commanders, who were proving to be more of a challenge than the marines he had dealt with earlier.

The metal ball made a hissing noise and then about a dozen holes opened up that were scattered across its round surface. A white smoke seeped out and soon had filled the fighting grounds. Luffy used his imagination as to what it was and how it would affect him. He jumped away from the smoke, but soon realized that the metallic balls had been thrown all across the ground. Smoke filled the room but he stayed focused as the attacks continued.

He ducked as the butt of a gun was swung for his head, swinging a fist up towards his attacker. The man shifted his rifle to block the powerful blow, and then sent a knee into Luffy's side. He let out a gasp and the room began to spin. He wondered if the dizziness was from the hit he had just taken or the smoke he was inhaling. The man came down on him hard with a fist bashing into his skull. The captain tried to let his body flow with the punches to reduce the impact but the commander was stronger than most opponents he had battled. Luffy shoved the man away from him to make distance between them, but the man came back quicker than he had expected, shifting his gun to where the narrow end came forward, driving it into his side. Luffy let out a shout of pain and went down for a second but quickly regained his bearings, dodging another powerful blow and jumping away.

The dizziness was still there but, to his relief, it wasn't growing any worse. He felt a little weaker but he had had worse.

"GOMU GOMU NOO" he shouted, bringing his fists back "GATLINGGGG!"

He pounded his fists into the man before him till it was clear that the commander was definitely not going to be coming back for more.

The room span for a moment after he stopped his attack, and he wavered on his feet for a moment, a large bruise forming on his side where the man had driven his gun into him.

A kick came from his right and he blocked it with his forearms. He grabbed the man by the face, lifting him into the air and slammed him into the ground; one less enemy to deal with.

He ran away from the next three opponents, hoping to single them out one at a time according to which one was the faster. Suddenly there was a burning pain in his left leg. He looked down to see an arrow protruding from his calf. Turning, he saw the fourth man in the distance holding a bow and arrow.

"You dirty-" growled Canaan, pulling at his restraints. These were no marines. If they were, he would have no part with them.

His forehead creased with concern for the young captain as he saw him fall and grab his leg. How long would they let this go on now that their test subject had taken damage?

As he watched the scene play out, he saw the raven haired boy grab one end of the arrow and quickly yank it out of his leg. Luffy let out a yell of pain but he was ready for the next attacker. He rolled out of the way of a club swinging down on him, then in one swift movement, he shoved the blood-covered arrow into the man's neck. The commander screamed and fell to the floor.

Luffy pushed himself back to his feet, favoring his right leg. Two more men were coming at him and he no longer had the option of running. He took a charge from the first, larger man who had rammed into his chest, grabbing his head in a vice grip with his strong arms. The commander tried to squirm free but had clearly underestimated the captain's unnatural strength. The other marine, to Luffy's surprise, leapt over the both of them, landing behind the pirate. Luffy moved to release his grip on the first man to block the attack from the second but was too late. Two twin blades were brought down on his bare back. He gritted his teeth to hold in a scream, turning to take out the man behind him. The larger marine, who he had just loosened his grip on, took advantage of his newly found freedom and wrapped his burley arms around the young captain and shoved all of his weight into bringing him to the ground.

Luffy was blinded with pain as his sliced back made rough contact with the ground. The man's weight remained on his chest as he tried to push himself up. Another flash of pain was felt cutting into his hip. He looked wildly down to see what was happening. The man with the twin blades had shoved one into him right at his waste.

"Well" the smaller man said "they said we could do whatever we want as long as we don't do any lethal damage, and there still seems to be a decent number of areas on you that haven't been painted blue." A grin formed on the marine's cruel lips as he twisted the blade into the captain's flesh.

Luffy let out a gasp and he thought he heard Canaan yelling from the distance but his lost focus as he felt a punch from the large man atop him crash against his skull, but the weight remained, holding him down as another blade made its way across his arm. He shouted again, wondering if that would just spur them on.

Canaan gave up yelling at the commanders and turned his attention to the small building a few yards away.

"How long are you going to let this go on!" he shouted in rage "this isn't science, this is torture!"

No response.

Another shout was heard from the captain as another blade was brought down between his collar bone and the top of his shoulders.

"You dogs! I swear when I get out of here I'll kill you!" he shouted back at the commanders after he got no response from the study room.

Alvida was glad that her face was covered by the gas mask for a change. She kept glancing over at general Yu, waiting for him to give them the red light. He kept his eyes peeled on the heart rate grafts.

"It doesn't look like the gas affected his heart rate or bodily functions" he said with a hint of frustration "though it did seem like he was a bit dazed by it. We'll need to strengthen the dosage of the seastone in the gas, some more Pindum, as well as the indomine to retain its strength."

"Does that mean the test is over" Alvida asked, trying to hide the concern in her voice.

"Just another minute" he responded "we don't want the problem to be that we didn't give the gas enough time to take effect."

Alvida frowned, but was relieved to hear an objection come from the other scientist in the room.

"Well, whatever effects we could be seeing wouldn't be possible to read with him pinned to the ground, incapable of any action."

General Yu looked over at the man, thought for a second, and then nodded, pressing the switch to turn the light from green to red.

Luffy didn't want to hold on to consciousness but his body had a way of keeping him going that held him to reality. Usually he appreciated that ability but right now he just wanted it to be over. From the distance he heard Canaan yelling.

"The lights red you idiots!" he shouted in frustration.

The commanders looked over to confirm his statement, and realizing that their fun was over, stopped their torture. Luffy felt the weight of the large marine lift off of his chest and the blade in his hip twist painfully out of his flesh. He didn't make any move to get up, but just laid there. If they wanted him back in that cell they would have to drag him. He wondered if that was his own stubbornness talking or if his body really was at the point of being unable to walk.

General Yu walked over to him and removed the device from his arm. He called Dr. Ackens over and a few minutes the man was at Luffy's side. Luffy tried to glare at him but found that his eyes couldn't focus and centering his thoughts on breathing normally was more important. The doctor checked his pulse and then lifted his eyelids, shining a flashlight in them to see if they were reacting correctly. Luffy was so sick of being studied and prodded that he found the strength in himself to do what he had been dying to do since that doctor had stuck the pipe down his throat. He swung this left fist around and socked it to the man right in the mouth. Dr. Ackens was bounced back onto his butt from his squatting position and he grabbed his bleeding mouth. Luffy managed a smile before he was kicked by someone, but that last spurt of energy had taken a lot out of him and he couldn't even tell who was responsible for it.

He heard Canaan laugh from a distance and was glad he had amused his friend who had sounded so distressed earlier.

Finally vision started to go black and to his relief he faded from consciousness.

Canaan had truly enjoyed seeing Luffy sock it to that man, and was also relieved to see that the boy had finally lost consciousness.

_At least you'll have a couple hours of peace before they mess you up again._

To be continued…

Hey guys! My life is finally slowing down a bit for Christmas and my goal is to finish this fanfiction by the end of break (which will be quite a feat because I still have quite a ways to go). Thank you to all of you guys who keep reading and reviewing!

Tare-chan: Thanks so much for the review ^_^ Yes, Luffy is tough, and I intend to keep him that way. No weird out-of-character weak Luffy in my plans. Also, I just noticed those separator line problems. Why is it like that? I'll try to make sure that doesn't happen in the future chapters.

WezL: I really appreciate that you really read all the explanatory details. It's really stressful to put them all together and some people (including myself) would just skim those parts and jump to the action scenes. So thanks

Mugiwara-cristal: I wish I knew what you were saying, but I appreciate the review none the less

I love you: I love you to ^_^


	25. Heavy Soul

- Paul and Chopper -

Twilight had come and Chopper and Paul were preparing to infiltrate the base to see if they could get any information for themselves before the rest of the crew got back. There was still a chance that there was something that Paul had missed in regards to the underground prison. He had admitted that he hadn't looked in every possible spot for the information but that it would be difficult to get into the alternative places. However, he figured that with Chopper's nose, there was a chance they could manage to avoid certain obstacles that otherwise would have posed as quite a hazard, namely the scattered guards throughout the base and surrounding those areas.

After they had strapped on bark to keep themselves from getting tranquilized, they quietly made their way into the woods, heading to the base.

"I'm counting on you and your nose to keep us from getting caught or worse killed" Paul whispered as they arrived at the ledge overlooking the battleground where he and Usopp had sniped from a few days earlier. The sun's light was completely gone by then and the two hoped that the darkness would provide them sufficient cover.

"I know a secret trail that will lead us as close as we can to those high-security buildings. Stay alert" he added in a whisper.

Chopper nodded. He was the more silent of the two due to his small hooves and his animalistic instinct that provided him the ability to maneuver soundlessly through the woods. The two figures were hardly detectable as they slipped down the narrow trail.

- Luffy and Canaan -

Luffy awoke from a sleep that had been less pleasant than he had hoped. He wheezed in pain as he tried to figure out where he was. The pain was worse than before and the injuries he had sustained in the previous battle felt like they were inflamed. Forcing his eyes open he tried to focus on his surroundings. The second he figured out he was back in their cell he shut his eyes tightly, trying to keep the pain under control, or at least his reaction to it under control.

"Why… why does it hurt so much?" he gasped out, not knowing if he would get a response.

He suddenly felt a strong, rough hand take his own and he knew Canaan was there. His grip tightened on the hand, knowing he was probably squeezing too tightly but it was all he had to keep the burning sensation under control.

"I dunno man" Canaan said, an attempt to conceal the concern in his voice could be heard, "I think they shot you up with some kind of steroid to increase your recovery speed. You haven't seemed to be enjoying it. I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do to make the pain go away, but hopefully, when it's over, you'll be feeling better than you would have otherwise."

"Canaan" Luffy whimpered "distract me. Get me talking about something."

"Alright" Canaan said softly "…so who is Chopper? Is he your doctor or something?"

"Chopper?" Luffy wheezed "when did I tell you about Chopper?"

"You…" Canaan started "well, you told me about him earlier." There was a hint of distress in his voice as he thought back to the last few hours.

- Previously

"_Arg! It hurts! Chopper it hurts! Please make the pain go away! I dunno what's wrong with me but make it better!" the captain shouted as Canaan tried to keep him from moving too much. The boy was definitely not in his right mind and consciousness had yet to truly return to him. _

_ Canaan growled as he remembered Dr. Akens' calm smile (a little warped due to the bandage covering the front of his face) as he injected the oddly colored drug into the unconscious captain before him. Almost immediately the pirate's body started to react. It started with just on occasional shiver, but as they were taken back to the room (Luffy carried) it started to writhe like something was being applied directly to the injuries. _

_ "I'm sorry Luffy" he said, his voice breaking as the boy let out a scream that he knew that, had he been conscious, the captain would never have let out. "I'm here, you're not alone. I'm sorry I'm not Chopper or whoever, but you still have a friend. I'm here."_

- Current time

"Oh" Luffy said "guess I… guess I forgot."

"Not your fault really" Canaan replied, tightening his grip on his hand; not that he needed to, the boy's grip was like a vice.

"Well" Luffy continued, his voice hitching as another wave of pain racked his body "Chopper is our doctor on our ship. He's awesome because he's a reindeer, and he can talk and change form. He normally is really small, like a raccoon, but sometimes he can grow as big as a bear."

Canaan was happy to see the boy smile, though there was a hint of sadness in the smile.

"Sounds like you have a fascinating group of characters in your crew" Canaan said, hoping to keep Luffy talking. It seemed to distract him and he was curious as to what other crazy people were a part of the crew.

"Well" Luffy continued, his voice a bit weaker, like he was losing his will to stay conscious "there's Sanji-"* another gasp* "he's our chef… he… he only fights with his feet cause he doesn't wanna-…" his voice trailed off as his consciousness faded into a restless sleep.

Canaan sighed. He had to get Luffy out of there before these people ruined him.

Chopper almost sneezed as the crept towards the orange lamp light. The smell that had weakened him earlier was getting stronger and despite the few days he had had to adapt to it, it was starting to get to him again. But what was that other smell? Perhaps someone hiding in wait for them. It smelled like a person.

"Paul" he whispered to the boy in front of him "I think there might be some people ahead of us on the trail."

Paul turned and looked at him in confusion. "I'm pretty sure we're safe as long as we're on the trail. No one knows about it except for Canaan, Sky and I. Surely you're mistaken."

"He's not mistaken" came a voice in the darkness right above them where a steep slope led down into their narrow passage. "Drop your weapons, we have you surrounded."

- The Crew -

Zoro had called Robin up to the crow's nest where he had been keeping an eye out the entire day. Now that night had fallen, the light from the distant ship following them was predominant as it contrasted the dark abyss surrounding them.

"I guess it's to be expected" Robin said, lowering the spyglass. "They can't just let us leave with all of that information, and surely they know that our intentions are to ruin their plan."

Zoro nodded and frowned. "Just another problem we're going to have to deal with. Do you have any idea where to start in our plan to rescue Luffy when we get back? Now that it looks like we'll have more to deal with than just the marines at the base, I guess we just take our obstacles one at a time."

The archeologist turned to face him and smiled. "We are a lot better prepared than we were. We know what we're dealing with and we know who we need to get in contact with to get into the underground prison. I would say that comes first… but Zoro… we won't stop till we've gotten our captain back. All we have to lose is our lives. If we die we all die together, as a family who knows that we would give anything for each other… for nakama. Doesn't it give you a peace to know that you won't ever feel the guilt of abandoning who you love… because that isn't determined by the circumstances, but it's your own choice…"

Zoro was surprised to hear Robin break off of her usual logical talk and bring up how she actually felt about the whole situation. He noticed that small lines, where tears had rolled secretly down her face, were glistening as the moonlight hit her face. She quickly wiped them and turned away.

"Robin?"

She was silent for a moment and then answered his non-verbalized question. "All my life I had the weight of betraying every crew I joined for survivals sake. They usually would turn on me first, but even if not, if there was ever a risk or sacrifice I had to give up, I would quickly abandon them… You know its funny how people all want freedom. How they don't want to be held down by anyone or anything… but they don't realize how heavy that burden is when you have no one to truly share life with. Your own soul can be the heaviest thing you possess. I had freedom from everyone, but it wasn't until I became a part of this crew, this family, that I had peace. To give up everything for my captain would top a life of freedom every time."

Zoro blinked, he had never heard Robin speak of her past before. He had never joined a crew before Luffy, but he felt that he knew exactly where she was coming from. Surely not having a crazy captain to stress over all the time and worry about would be a much easier life, but the thought of not being able to share his life and be a part of a family now sounded unbearable. He had never really realized how heavy his soul was until he shared it with someone else who would carry a part of its weight.

He put his hand on Robin's shoulder, hoping she would understand that he agreed and that the same bond of friendship they had with their captain went for each other as well.

- Paul and Chopper -

"I can't believe we already got caught" growled Paul "wasn't your nose supposed to be our trump card?" he whispered to Chopper in frustration as they made their way back down the dark path.

"Oh excuse me" Chopper snapped back "someone told me that no one knew about this trail except for the three of you. Guess you were mistaken."

Paul rolled his eyes but couldn't help but notice that they weren't heading in the direction that he would have assumed they would be going if they were prisoners. The base headquarters was in the other direction (which was the place they had intended to sneak into) but they were headed back to the living quarters where the men resided.

He then noticed that the men holding them hostage were avoiding the lighted areas and seemed to be sneaking. That made him curious and slightly hopeful.

The swiftly made their way to one of the small living quarters and entered the back way after ducking under some sloppily hung laundry lit by an ugly orange backlight.

Chopper and Paul were surprised to find that the small building was packed with marines; some were squished on top of bunk beds and the rest were standing in a tight arc around them.

"Err…" Paul started with confusion, looking over at Chopper who shrugged, sharing the confused face.

They turned their heads back to the crowd when they noticed that someone was shoving their way to the front of the group. Relief flowed over the two of them when the person who finally popped out of the cluster of men dusted himself and smiled at them.

"Sky"

- Luffy and Canaan -

Canaan awoke to the sound of loud snoring. He looked down to see that his heavily bruised hand had finally been released and Luffy's hand was now being used to scratch his bare stomach. The wounds that had been inflicted on the captain several hours earlier were still visible but seemed to have closed up an unnatural amount considering how recently they had been received.

Canaan smiled; glad to see the boy no longer in excruciating pain. Realizing how stiff he was, he finally made his way over to his own bed, falling asleep the moment he laid his head on the flat pillow.

-General Yu -

The well-dressed general made his way, once again down the deserted walkway looking over the sea. He pulled out the communication snail from his cloak and turned it on. At first there was no sound, then a deep, gruff voice came up on the other side.

"What the heck is happening over there" the snail growled, impersonating the man on the other end.

"There's been some complications but we've been keeping the experiments on schedule and have made a lot of progress over the last few days. The pirate Monkey D. Luffy has turned out to be our ace in the hole and I believe that we are just a few days away from producing the seastone gas you've been waiting for."

There was a pause before the man on the line responded. "Well, you should know that the boy's crew is headed back in your direction, and this time, we have reason to believe they know about us. They might be a threat to everything we've been working for. Just be ready for them when they get there. We will be arriving shortly behind them and if progress is going as well as it sounds like it has, it'd be a nice chance for us to take a look at how things are coming along."

General Yu smiled "yes, I'm hoping for it to be complete by then, and I'm also looking forward to seeing your guards I've been hearing so much about."

"Yes" the voice on the other end replied "they are also looking forward to the visit. They already had a spat with Mugiwara's crew and are itching to finish them off. Just hold down the fort till we get there."

"Yes sir" the General replied, clicking the snail off and shoving it back into his cloak.

- Paul, Chopper, Sky and other Marines -

Paul and Sky gave each other a bear hug. Paul gave him another tight squeeze before pushing him off, keeping his hand on his shoulder.

"I thought you were dead man" Paul said, a bit of emotion coming out through his voice.

Sky smiled at him "happy to see you to." The grey-haired boy looked over at Chopper, "I don't think we've met little guy."

The little reindeer walked over and stuck out a hoof "I'm Chopper, a doctor on Luffy's crew. I've heard about you. Thanks for saving our swordsman."

"Not a problem" Sky replied happily "I'm assuming he made it back alright."

"Yep, and I heard you really sacrificed a lot to get him back. I'm glad to see you're up and about."

Sky straightened up and turned to the crowd of marines who had been watching, mumbling to one another quietly. The voices died down once they realized Sky's attention was back on them.

"These past few days, heck, the past few months have been shrouded in confusion and suspicious activity from out new authorities. This place used to be a military training base and it still is in a way, but I know that many things have changed. We no longer are given instruction or are sent out to join our fellow marines elsewhere. Instead we have remained here guarding a seemingly small prison, hardly ever given any information and practically never seeing our leaders. Most prisoners that are brought here are never seen again… one being Canaan whom most everyone here has come to know as a close friend and an honorable man. We have not seen him since he was taken in after the battle."

One of the marines in the front piped up after Sky paused. "We all agree that things have gotten really odd around here, and we all want to know what has happened to Canaan, but how can we find out what's going on? We can't just declare war over suspicious activity."

Sky nodded. "You're right, and even I don't have any more information that you do, but there is someone who does here" he said, motioning for someone in the crowd.

Orrin stepped forward.

- The Crew-

Usopp had taken the lookout position in the crow's nest and let out a sigh of relief as the pear-shaped island came into view. Yelling down to the crew he made his way down the mast.

They could finally get their captain back.

TBC….

Hey guys, Merry Christmas! That you so much for reviewing and reading my fic. I hope to finish this thing really soon ^_^ though there is a lot of craziness action and such about to happen and I will just have to wait and see how I fit it all together.

WezL- You're welcome and there will be much beating up in the future ^_^

Neko11- I'm really glad you liked the hide and seek part, and that you so much for the review. Telling the writer what you're specifically favorite parts are really makes it worth the writing ^_^

Ri-Chan 89- You're review made me really happy and I shall update again soon. There's still a lot more to come.


	26. Way Too Early

-Chopper, Paul, and Sky -

Orrin stepped forward a bit awkwardly but turned to face the crowded room of marines.

"I know that up to this point you guys have only known me as another marine here at this base, but I know more about what's going on here than most anyone else on the outside, including yourselves. There has been illegal experimentation done on this island for a transportable seastone gas and it has been kept from all of you. You have all been made to unintentionally take part in something people are sent to prison for."

Expressions of shock could be seen throughout the room but the men kept silent, waiting to hear what else he had to say.

"Now the pirate boy that we just brought in is a major part in all of this, and I have come to discover that you're friend Canaan has also taken a role in their schemes. This will sound ridiculous, but the reason we were to specifically catch Straw-hat Luffy is because he was the best possible test subject for this type of experimentation, and Canaan in the leverage they are using to make him cooperate."

The expressions varied from disgust, confusion, doubt and anger. Orrin knew he had to provide some kind of evidence other than his word to get them to actually take action. They weren't going to follow the first logical conspiracy theory that was thrown at them.

"I can prove what I have said" he added, causing everyone to seem to come closer another few inches. "Choose one of your own who you trust the most and I can get him inside the base to see with his own eyes what I've said is true."

There were some whispers and discussion throughout the group for a minute. Finally they brought forward a brown haired marine, he looked to be around thirty and something about him gave off quality.

"I'm Jason" he said "and these guys volunteered me for this little shindig."

"Great" Orrin said "thank you guys for being willing to look for yourselves. I can take you into the underground prison, but to actually see what's going on I'd have to ask you to disguise yourself as one of the commanders for me."

Jason looked a bit nervous and glanced back at the group of marines behind him. They all grinned encouragingly and gave him a thumbs up. He sighed and turned back to Orrin.

"All right, what do I have to do?"

- Luffy and Canaan -

Canaan awoke to the sound of Luffy scarfing down more steaks. _Guess he's back to his old self._

The guards had left a much larger amount of food this time than the last, but it still didn't seem like it was putting a dent in the captain's appetite. However, he took note of the plate that had been set aside, untouched by the flailing rubber arms. He smiled and made his way over to the plate and started to eat what he had assumed was his.

"Oh, you're awake!" Luffy said, his voice muffled by several steaks.

"Yeah" Canaan responded "I should be the one surprised. The fact that you're up and running again so soon is truly impressive. I guess that stuff Dr. Ackens gave you works pretty quick."

"Yeah, well…" Luffy paused from his scarfing down of food "I'd rather stick to healing at a normal pace. That way isn't so fun."

"I noticed."

Luffy looked up at him with a hidden expression of gratitude.

- General Yu and Alvida -

Alvida awoke to the knock at her door. Her clock read 2:15 AM and she groaned. There was another knock, a bit louder the second time. She huffed in sleepy frustration and threw the sheets off of herself. Slipping on a robe she made her way over to the door, opening it to interrupt the third series of knocks.

General Yu was standing at her door, his shadow blocking the abhorrent light from the hallway.

"What the heck are you doing up at this hour? ….. and why the heck are you waking me up at this hour?"

"Yes yes, sorry to wake you" Yu said, a slight tone of irritation reflecting in his voice "but the officials in charge of this whole operation will be here in just a day or two from now. You and I both know that we should be able to have it finished on time if we increase the frequency of the testing. I've seen Luffy in the cell, that stuff that Dr. Ackens pumped into him really does its job; he's just about as good as new. We need to proceed to the next set, tonight."

Alvida rubbed her eyes as she straightened up. "Alright" _I guess I'll just sleep during the breaks._

- Luffy and Canaan -

There was no clock in Luffy and Canaan's room but the opening of the cell door did come as an unwelcome surprise.

"What the heck?" Canaan growled. They also had had their lights out for the night so the hallway glow was garish to the two prisoners.

"Time to go" one of the commanders mumbled sleepily "testing starts early today."

"Oh you've gotta be kidding me" Luffy moaned, pulling the blankets back over his head.

One of the other commanders walked over and yanked to blankets off of the bed while another jammed the butt of his gun into Canaan's side.

"I said time to go" the commander repeated as they marched the two out of the room.

"They've totally crossed the line this time" Luffy whispered over to Canaan who smirked in response.

" Oh yeah, they can slice you up and pump you full of drugs, but the second they wake you from sleeping in the middle of the night, that's when they've crossed the line."

"That's exactly what I'm saying" Luffy mumbled back.

TBC….

Hey, I know this chapter is a bit shorter than all my other ones but I figured it'd be better to update more often with shorter chapters than once every few months with longer chapters. Thank you guys so much for the support so far. Please review T_T I have this weird need to know that my fanfiction is making someone happy…

WezL- no rescue yet, but I'm sure it will come ^_^

Luithia Clen- thanks, I'm really glad you liked the dialog parts of the story. It means a lot that you don't just skim to action sequences.

Mugiwara-cristal- I don't know exactly what you said but I saw chapter and an exclamation point… so I'm going to assume that's a good thing ^_^

Neko11- I really appreciate the encouraging reviews and how you're willing to like my OCs. I'm very happy to update knowing you're keeping up with the story.


	27. Everythings So Blurry

- Luffy and Canaan-

Once again the testing began. Luffy was prepped with the monitoring device and marked with the blue paint while Canaan was strapped to the chair again. The green light was turned on and the battle ensued. The pirate inflicted even more damage on the commanders than the previous occasion, which was the only part of the procedure that Canaan enjoyed watching, envying the captain's freedom to go all out on the jerks. Luffy had been a bit more brutal to the men who had pinned him down before, but still more came.

The metal balls were thrown into the fight around the same time as the day before. Canaan frowned, worrying about what would happen this time. The second the smoke reached the pirate's nose Canaan saw the boy lurch in shock, his back arching from some kind of strain. He managed to stumble out of the way of one of the commander's swords, but was weakly gasping for air. Seconds later his legs buckled underneath him as his eyes rolled and he fell to his knees, finally landing face first into the grass without even lifting an arm to stop his fall.

"Luffy!" the elite shouted in worry. The pirate wasn't just getting tired or dizzy; he was struggling to function at all.

Alvida worriedly looked at the monitors in front of her that kept track of Luffy's heart rate and other symptoms. His whole body seemed to be shutting down. She knew the scientists wouldn't worry about the comfort of the pirate, but this was risking way too much. If things kept going like they were going he would be dead soon.

"Turn off the green light" she instructed loudly to the man at the control desk.

"Wait" General Yu said putting a hand up "we need to see the full extent of the drug's affect on him before we stop."

"No" she snapped back "you'd have to be blind not to see that he's dying out there-"

"But-"

"General Yu" Alvida almost shouted "do not forget who the higher ranking officer here is." Turning to the man at the controls again she added "turn off the green light and get some medics out there."

Alvida watched as the man quickly did as he was told; feeling a bit melancholy realizing she hadn't really bossed anyone around since she had betrayed her crew. To think that she would finally get her chance to take charge, and to think it would be to save that pirate with the straw hat rather than to inflict pain on him surprised her.

Alvida didn't look back at general Yu to see what face he was making. She didn't know if it was out of fear or just lack of desire to see that permanent scowl on his face get any more bitter, but she continued to watch as the commanders backed away from the eerily still boy.

Luffy knew he had been in trouble the second he inhaled that smoke. It was like he had swallowed seastone. Usually the material would just make him tired or keep him from using his abilities, but this kind was inside of him. He could feel his heart-beat slow and his lungs refuse to take in air as usual. His body felt like it wasn't his anymore as it betrayed him by collapsing limp to the ground. That was the last thing he remembered before he lost all focus on reality.

The commanders seemed a bit letdown by the shortened fight but stepped aside obediently when the medics came running to the captain's side. They checked him over quickly then rushed him out of the room.

Canaan hated his imprisonment. He wanted to know what had happened to Luffy and to be there for him. _Where was the boy's crew? Why hadn't anyone come for them yet? They couldn't keep just making it through these tests hoping that Luffy would survive._

- The crew -

The Merry Go had finally been directed into the hidden cave on the uninhabited side of the island. There was a rushed feeling across the deck as everyone scrambled to prepare for the rescue of their beloved captain. Everyone was shoving on pieces of bark to protect them from the tranquilizer darts that had caused them so much trouble a few days earlier. Nami kept an eye out for Chopper and Paul to come around. They had agreed to meet back here in a few days and it hadn't been long enough for the two to give up on them.

Sanji was struggling to comprehend what his eyes were taking in of his surroundings. He had woken up just as they were pulling in but no one had been around to welcome him back to the world of the conscious. Even after several minutes he could not get himself to focus, being forced to remain in a daze. The cook figured he was back on the Merry Go; it looked like the usual place that they would patch up each other after a battle and considering the way he felt, he knew he was the one who had received the patching. His mind wandered like a dream with him first trying to figure out what seasoning he would be needing for their breakfast that morning, and then him wondering why he was no longer dressed up like an old man. Finally his mind seemed narrow down to the issue at hand; his captain was a prisoner and he needed to get him out.

The cook's mind snapped back to reality as he remembered all that had happened over the past couple of days. With a grunt he tried to sit up. He wondered if the others had already left him to go rescue Luffy. If not, he would have to prove that he could still fight… or at least walk. He didn't want to sit back on the ship bed-ridden while the others went off to risk their lives.

Pain rocketed through his body as the stab wounds were agitated by his movement. He squeezed his eyes tightly and panted, feeling sweat trickle down his face and back; but he didn't quit till he had managed to get himself upright on the bed. Taking a few minutes to control his breathing and the burning pain he was feeling all over, he waited to get his bearings. Finally he felt confident enough to go for it. After a count of three he shoved himself up from the bed with his arms, trying to balance himself to stay upright. He thought he just about had it when black dots started to fill his vision and, to his dismay, consciousness was lost.

Usopp heard a noise from the room they had left Sanji in. He quickly rushed over and burst through the door to see his crew-mate sprawled on the floor, blood leaking from two of his many bandages.

"Sanji!" he exclaimed with worry. He rushed over and turned the cook over to that his head was supported as Usopp checked to see if he had done any more harm to himself. He let out a sigh of relief to find that the fall hadn't done any real damage, but the bandages would need to be replaced.

Suddenly Sanji's uncovered eye slowly slid open, revealing a glassy and dazed iris.

"Oh, glad to see you guys didn't leave me behind" he said weakly up to the marksman.

"Don't get your hopes up Sanji" Usopp responded lightly as he helped him back to his bed "I don't think any of us want your beat up self going into battle with us." Seeing the man growl and start to push himself off the bed again, Usopp continued. "Look, you've already done you're part in helping the crew for now. We probably wouldn't have even gotten off of that beach if you hadn't gone and sacrificed yourself to take that dude out. How could any of us hold it against you for staying here? Heck, you can't even stand, let alone fight."

Sanji chuckled, having dejav back to what he had thought to himself earlier.

"Dang" he said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice "maybe I should have stayed in the bed so you couldn't make that assumption."

"Well thanks for proving my point before I had to" Usopp snickered back.

"Glad to help."

There was a pause as the two sat in silence while the sounds of the others bustling about on deck echoed into the room. The morning was coming but still the lamps remained the major light sources in the room.

"You have to promise to bring him back…" Sanji said quietly, his gaze still unfocused. He wasn't even trying to keep his eyes on the marksman anymore. "He's too great a captain to be kept up in a prison. He's given too much… and we have yet to repay our debts…"

Usopp smiled. "Sanji, no amount of efforts on our parts will repay what Luffy has done. He didn't give so much of himself with the expectation of repayment, he gave himself because he decided we were to be nakama, and that's all the payment he needed."

"Call it more of a personal debt then" Sanji responded weakly. "Anyway, you guys need to get your butts moving before Luffy dies of old age."

With a grin, Usopp nodded; glad to see that the cook was accepting the fact that he couldn't go with them and that he needed to heal.

He called the group in so they could see that that Sanji had finally regained consciousness. They were all happy to see him alright and informed him of their plans. They would soon be making their way to the marine base. They had to find a way into the underground prison before they did anything. The goal was to find this Orrin and have him tell them the way in.

Zoro grinned mockingly at the blond "and you get the big job of staying here and protecting the ship. Look at you; all grown up." He wiped away an invisible tear.

Sanji scowled at him. "Yeah, kind of like you yesterday. Bang up job on keeping an eye out for trouble."

Now it was Zoro's turn to scowl. "You idiot dart-brow."

"Moss-head"

The two had a glaring battle, which would have definitely lead to a physical fight if Sanji hadn't been bed-ridden.

Nami sighed and put a hand to her face and Robin just laughed. Suddenly the tension was broken as Sanji glanced over at Robin in shock.

"Robin-chwan! What are you wearing!" he cried out in dismay.

Everyone looked over at the historian. She was indeed dressed differently that her usual attire. She was covered with several layers of white robes.

"Err…" Usopp mumbled "are you expecting there to be a winter storm here soon Robin?"

She chuckled, "no, but I have been working on a new technique recently and I thought that now would be the best time to put it to use."

"A new technique aye?" Zoro said curiously. "Care to show the rest of us?"

"I think it'd be best to save it for battle. We don't have much time as it is" she responded apologetically.

"You're right" the swordsman said, tightening the bark that had been strapped to his arm "we need to get to the base before sunrise."

- Luffy and Canaan -

The marine was relieved to see the cell door open and the pirate boy be carted in. He didn't like all of the equipment attached to him, nor the oxygen mask that covered his nose and mouth, but he knew it would be for the captain's benefit.

There was no sign of life coming from Luffy except for his scrunched eyebrows. Even though the rest of his body wouldn't fight to function on its own, Canaan could tell the boy was trying to fight for his life, if only by just his will.

"I can't let this go on Luffy" he said quietly as he sat by the pirate's side. "If you just hold on and push through this I know your crew will come. I know you won't quit kid, it's not your style, but if you can hear me, you have to remember why you need to keep fighting. You have a crew that cares for you, and if you don't pull through this I'm gonna kick your dead butt."

The raven haired boy didn't show any response to what he had just said but he kept talking; rambling on about anything and everything he could come up with.

- Jason and Orrin -

"Ok" Orrin said "I know one commander who always has on a face covering. They won't be expecting us to actually get in, so I think we can catch him by surprise, take him out, and swap you're uniforms. "

The two snuck along the cliff side that overlooked the sea. Orrin had searched all across the island and had stumbled across some liquid seastone leaking out of some small caverns and, with further searching, he had managed to find a hidden air vent that led to the underground hallways of the prison.

Orrin and Jason had managed to make good time and had already reached the vent. There was no ledge to stand on so Jason kept his grip on the rock surface as Orrin went to unscrewing the vent cover. Once it was open, they squeezed in one at a time.

"So how are we going find this commander you're talking about?" Jason asked once they had snuck into the abandoned prison cell.

"Well, it looks like most of the commanders are still in their sleeping quarters. Seems they did a test early this morning and were given some time to sleep in; which works out perfectly for us because that means that our guy should be pretty easy to surprise."

"Sweet" Jason replied "did you plan for that to happen?"

"Err, feel free to assume so… but no. I suppose we just got lucky."

"Alright then, so where are the sleeping quarters?"

"Just follow me" Orrin answered as he began to open the rusty air vent in the ceiling "and do you have the tranquilizers with you?"

"Yeah" Jason replied, boosting Orrin up into the vent, and then followed behind him, accepting the helping hand.

-Luffy and Canaan -

Luffy's eyelids felt like they were weighed down and everything inside of him wanted to stay in its numb encasement, but he knew he had to wake up. If his crew came for him and he was just laying there boneless he would be ashamed. So first things first, he needed to get his eyes open.

Canaan had fallen asleep at some point and did not notice Luffy's eyes slowly start to peel open. They boy was content at the moment, not minding that his vision was so blurry he couldn't make out a single shape before him. At least he had managed to wake up. He let out a weak breath, fogging up the clear mask that covered his nose and mouth. He suddenly remembered his first experience with Dr. Ackens in that cursed medical room where he had forced that burning gas down his throat by blocking off his nose and mouth with a very similar mask.

Luffy's mind was still dazed but he felt panic rise in his chest, fearing that his next breath would be filled with whatever that blasted gas had been called. His body tingled from tension and fear and his breathing picked up, though he was still too weak to really react. He was slightly relieved when oxygen filled his lungs with each strained breath. His glazed over eyes wondered the room, still unable to really latch on to anything he could comprehend.

Canaan had heard a slight wheeze come from the boy on the table and quickly awoke to see Luffy's glassy eyes wondering and his breathing coming out in quick short huffs.

"Luffy?" he said putting himself if the pirate's line of vision "you awake in there?"

Luffy's eyebrows narrowed as he tried to get his eyes to focus on the figure before him but they still ignored his mind's requests. The voice sounded like Canaan's though, and it wouldn't help him any to assume that it wasn't so he concluded that it was his friend.

The panic settled and the butterflies died away in his stomach.

"-ow long was I out?" he tried to mumble under his breath, surprised at the weakness of his voice.

"Oh, a couple of hours; I'm pretty sure they overdosed you with whatever that smoky gas was. I was worried that you wouldn't ever wake up but now I'm surprised at how quickly you did."

"I'm just full of surprises" Luffy declared weakly as he allowed his eyes to shut again. Canaan didn't know if he should try and keep the pirate awake of let him rest. He decided to let him rest. In the mean time, he would have to come up with some way that they could get out of there on their own.

TBC…

Please review ^_^ it keeps me going. I really appreciate all of the support and that you guys are reading my fanfic. I hope to update soon (though school will be starting up next week). I also hope you all are enjoying the Christmas holiday as much as I have! I know this chapter is a bit slow, but I gotta get the plot development in there. It's gonna get really crazy soon though.

WezL-you're welcome and thanks again for all of the support ^_^

Tare-chan- this one was a bit longer and if I know anything, it's that you don't wake someone up unexpectedly in the night unless you have a darn good reason.


	28. Busting Out

- I do One Piece fanart in addition to my fanfictions if you haven't discovered that yet. I'm Zinfer on I have a picture there called "Luffy's Scars" that I think would add to the story if you want to take a look ^_^

-Luffy and Canaan-

Luffy awoke to Canaan shuffling about and looked over to see the marine removing the sheets from his bed.

"What the heck are you up to?"

Canaan glanced over then began to rip the sheets into thin strips. "Glad to see you're awake, I didn't think the plan to get out of here would work too well if you were unconscious. How are you feeling?"

"Whoa what? A plan to get out? That sounds exciting!"

"Oh yes, this is going to be a blast; now answer the question, how are you feeling?"

"I've been worse" Luffy responded but Canaan noted that the pirate's eyes were still glazed over and his voice was a bit softer than usual.

"That doesn't tell me much Luffy" he sighed, continuing to rip the bed-sheets "I don't even want to know where all of those scars came from."

Luffy looked down at himself and took note of the many different scars that had accumulated over the last few adventures he and his crew had gone on. He found it funny that he hadn't really taken note of them. There were bite marks from his fight with Arlong on his arm, side, and neck. Crocodile had left a huge gash from when he had impaled him with his hook. Aside from those major ones he also had the scratches from that cat butler guy... whatever his name had been, as well as the spike wounds he had received from Don Krieg.

"I don't even know how you're still alive after receiving all of those. You really must live a crazy life when just you're physical appearance has stories to tell."

"That's the great thing about scars though" Luffy said lightly "they make it so you always have a way to remember those times in the past; kind of like the cover of a book. Your scars are the cover and your memory is the story."

Canaan smiled "that's an interesting way to look at it; though you haven't seemed to take much notice to them. In fact if I didn't know better, it seemed you just now realized they were there."

"Well to be honest" Luffy replied "I hardly ever have all this sit-around time to actually think about things. I want to focus on the future now while I can, and cherish the memories only when time is given me to do so."

"Makes since" Canaan added as he started wrapping his arms in with the shredded bed sheets.

"So what are you doing?" Luffy asked.

"I'm hoping these sheets, if I roll them thickly enough, will be enough to keep the tranquilizer darts away. I don't think they'll shoot me with real bullets since they need me as leverage to keep you cooperative."

"So, I guess we aren't gonna be digging ourselves out" Luffy said lightly "looks like you plan on busting out head on. I like your style."

"I can't watch them treat you like an animal again. At least I can't without at least trying to do something about it."

Luffy smiled. "Thanks, but how do you plan on getting out. You'd have a much better shot without having to drag my butt around. I could try to get up and perhaps run, but I would definitely be weighing you down. I don't know how you plan on getting past the guards but I know that you won't get far unless you leave me here."

"I'm not going to leave you behind" Canaan said, not even looking in Luffy's direction as if to say that the statement wasn't worthy of any real discussion.

Luffy let out a huff and Canaan smiled in response as he tightened the knots around his forearm.

"They have to come in the room to get your ridiculous amount of food in here. I've been keeping an eye on how they're set up when they come in; usually two commanders come in at a time carrying the platters while two more keep guard outside of the doors. I'm pretty sure I can handle them with your help."

Luffy snorted. "Yeah, I'd love to but I think we should take things one step at a time… like me taking steps."

"Well, I wasn't exactly planning on you to do any fighting" Canaan replied, a conniving look on his face.

- Orrin and Jason -

The commander's room was dark as the two infiltrators slowly crept through the ceiling over a small sink and counter. The sleeping quarters greatly resembled the place they were holding Luffy and Canaan. There was no natural light source but the glow from the hallway peeked in from under the door.

Orrin looked through the air-vent to see the commander asleep in a cot on the other side of the room. Quietly he unscrewed the screws that held the vent cover to the metal air-duct where they were hiding. Jason kept his fingers gripping the small openings in the metal so that, when Orrin had finished, the cover didn't fall to the floor. He quietly lifted it into the duct and placed it inside. Orrin signaled for James to help him down. The two worked well together and were about the same in size and weight so the infiltration went smoothly. Orrin then helped James down and they turned to the sleeping commander, creeping silently over to where he slept. Jason slipped out the tranquilizer dart from his coat.

- Luffy and Canaan -

"They should be coming in a few minutes" Canaan said walking over to Luffy who hadn't moved from his bed. "Can you shrink yourself the way you did when we were playing hide-n-go-seek now?"

Luffy slowly lifted his arm and stuck his thumb in his mouth. The marine cocked his eyebrow but watched with curiosity. With as much strength he could muster, the captain bit into his thumb and began to blow into it. His thumb swelled a bit but nothing else happened, so after a few more seconds of straining he gave up, dropping his head back on his pillow gasping weakly.

"That didn't look very effective" Canaan said a-matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, usually it's a bit more exciting."

"So does this mean you won't be shrinking any time soon?"

"… well, I'm getting another idea at the moment."

"Is that so?"

Luffy paused for a moment, and then he directed his eyes at Canaan.

"What?" Canaan asked suspiciously.

"I want you to bite into my thumb and blow into it with all your might till it swells up to be several sizes larger than me."

Canaan blinked, a bit surprised, but realizing that what the boy before him was asking wasn't as ridiculous as it would have sounded in any other context.

Realizing that the commanders would be there any minute he didn't ask any questions and took Luffy's arm.

"I'll have you know this is one of the weirdest things I've ever done" he said as he took the boy's hand and bit down on his thumb, breathing out all the air from his lungs. It was like blowing into a really thick balloon but slowly the rest of the arm began to grow in size until it was as large as half the room. At that point he stopped and leaned back.

"Alright, now what?"

"Well, I keep myself in gear third for as long as I can so I will be miniature just as long… wow… I never thought I would ever say something like that."

- 10 minutes later -

The security code on their cell door could be heard as it was unlocked. Once it was open two men walked in, one with a huge platter of steaks while another with a gun kept watch. There was a moment when they paused and looked around the room, seeing Canaan's bed-sheets shredded to bits with pieces of it wrapped around his arms and legs. Luffy's bed appeared to still be occupied but the air grew tense due to the change in décor.

"What the heck did you do to the place?"

"Got bored; figured we could do some crafts to pass the time."

"You're hilarious" the guard said sarcastically as the other commander began to set the tray on the table. At that moment the man with the tray came between Canaan and the man with the gun.

In one swift motion Canaan grabbed the edge of the tray and yanked it down, spilling meat everywhere. Without letting go he thrust it into the commanders throat then slammed the man into the guard behind him. The men outside shouted and one ran inside while the other called in for backup. Canaan didn't hesitate as he grabbed the barrel of the shocked guard's gun after he had slammed him into the ground underneath his own weight and the weight of the other man. Before the invading commander could get a shot off he had swung the gun around and knocked the muzzle away, causing tranquilizer darts to bounce harmlessly off the ground.

The man outside the door was too far away for Canaan to reach as he raised his gun. He aimed and squeezed his finger on the trigger but was thwarted by a bundle of sheets that hit him across his face. Scrambling to free himself from the hazard, he realized that the bundle was latched to his head. With a shout he fought with his attachment and to his surprise it fought back biting his head. He let out a frustrated roar that was cut short when the butt of a gun socked him in the stomach.

All of the commanders were down. Canaan let out a huff as he grabbed the ammo, strapping two of the guns to his back and taking another on in his hand.

"Well that went well" he said lightly to the bundle that was rolling itself off of the commander's face. There was a rope of sheets that connected themselves to the bundle from Canaan's left arm. He pulled the sheets, wrapping the extra lengths around his arm as he did so, until the miniature Luffy wrapped in white was at his side and handing like a ball and chain from his strong arm.

The chibi Luffy laughed with delight. "This is awesome! I've never been a weapon before!"

"Me neither" Canaan chuckled in response as he swung the delighted captain around, testing the weight and maneuverability. "This also makes it a lot easier to carry you around since you're kinda dead weight at the moment."

There were alarms going off through the hallways and a red light was flashing.

"Guess it didn't take them too long to figure out we were up to something. We need to get out of here now."

"No kidding" Luffy squeaked as the marine dashed down the hallway.

- Orrin and Jason -

The alarm had gone off right as Jason was about to inject the commander. The man's eyes shot open to come face to face with the intruders. Jason quickly shoved the needle into the man's shoulder but the commander kicked him off violently. Orrin was quick to respond, jumping on the man to keep him from alerting anyone else before the tranquilizer took effect.

Jason had been thrown to the floor but was up quickly. The commander was stronger than he looked and he punched Orrin in the gut causing him to grunt in pain. The two rolled off of the cot, wrestling on the ground. The alarm outside drowned out the commander's shouts, and Jason had jumped into the fray. The tranquilizer was beginning to work on the man as he weakened under their combined strength. Jason added another dose to his neck to be sure he wouldn't be causing them trouble any time soon and the man finally stilled.

"If that's how much trouble it is to take down one drugged-up commander, I don't think I want to know how taking on an army of them will go" Jason said as he wiped sweat from his head.

"I don't either but right now we need to get you guys swapped so hurry up and change before they wonder where he is. This guy's name is Semmet and he uses these weapons" Orrin said as he pulled out two beautiful twin-blades. "I wouldn't want to see how much damage he could do with these babies."

"I guess I'll just wear them on me and hope I don't have to use them… because I'm pretty sure I'd just make a fool of myself. I'm more of a punch and shoot kind of guy" Jason said as the threw the commander coat over his head, then fastening the face covering over his nose and mouth.

"Well, whatever the case, you need to get out there now. Sounds like an emergency. I'll be around if you get into any trouble."

"Alright" Jason concluded as he sheathed the blades and walked out into the loud hallway.

- Luffy and Canaan -

"Do you know where you're going?" Luffy asked as cell after cell passed by. Canaan hadn't slowed his pace, which was impressively fast even for the captain.

"All I know is that I'm going in the opposite direction of that blasted testing room. I haven't really had the means of mapping out the place so my goal is to head in the direction that doesn't smell like some giant has farted in it."

Luffy chuckled at the analogy which seemed to fit well enough with the place.

Suddenly gas came pouring in from the ventilation along the hallway's ceiling. Luffy gasped weakly as the fumes entered his nose and mouth.

"Darn it all" Canaan growled "they must think that you're trying to run out of here yourself and want to slow you down. Too bad they don't know that it won't make a difference. Just try and bear with it buddy."

Luffy nodded feebly as his already exhausted body grew weaker.

- Jason -

The anxious marine's heart rate went up as he ran down the unfamiliar hallways. He was finally seeing what the commander's and general's had been keeping secret all those years.

He saw a group of commanders running down the hallway so he quickly joined them so he wouldn't draw any attention to himself. A general was leading the way and when they came to a split in the hallway he directed them in two directions.

Jason followed behind as the four other commanders made their way down the gas-filled hallway. That was curious.

Suddenly there were shouts ahead of him but he couldn't see due to the hazy gas that had congested the path. To his dread he heard the sound of combat ahead of him as shots were fired and the sounds of fist-fighting. He didn't even grab for the two blades, but instead lifted his fists in a fighting stance, waiting for whatever was plowing its way towards him.

The commander in front of him was suddenly slammed in the face with a palm of a strong hand and suddenly a white blur was flying at his head. He brought his arms up and blocked the attack, surprised to hear a squeak come from the white bushel. Then, as the attacker came closer, his eyes were able to detect who it was.

"C-Canaan?"

TBC…

WHEW, that chapter turned out a bit longer than I thought it was going to be. Finally making some headway here -_- but there's still a lot more to go. I can't wait to finally get this thing finished.

THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS! I would love some more to keep me motivated. I'm super busy with life right now but you guys who have supported me really make it worth it to write these ^_^

Kamizacondor- Yeah, I started the story with her being the main villain, but as I developed the plot I found myself making her less-villainous. Which I know isn't in her character but that's just how it turned out. Thanks for the review.

Neko11- Thank you so much for the encouraging review. I created Canaan partially because I've seen so many fanfics where Luffy gets caught and suffers terribly with no mental help whatsoever. I'm not too big on messing with the character's heads… at least not too much.

WezL- Thanks for the support once again, and you're welcome ^_^

Luithia Clen- Thanks for the help, I can use as much grammatical/spelling assistance I can get

PleasantlyStrange- I know its slow going. It usually takes me a while to even get to writing the plot development because it's complicated and not as exciting. Thanks for the encouragement, it really made me happy.

A.D.D- Your review made my day ^_^ I'm so happy you're enjoying my story and I hope you continue to enjoy it as it continues to progress.

Thanks again, hope to update soon.


	29. Allies in Unlikely Places

-Luffy, Canaan and Jason-

Before Jason could blink Canaan had jumped at him, slamming him into the ground. He was so shocked he could only stare into the elites fierce golden eyes. The face covering was still over his nose and mouth but his eyes betrayed the confused surprise at the sight of his former commanding officer. Canaan lifted his fist to knock the marine out but he hesitated, his expression in doubting recognition.

"Jason? Is that you?"

Jason pulled his hand up and removed the cloth covering his facial features. The elite's face changed from doubt to shock and distress; his eyes widening, brow furrowed.

"Jason? No… no, tell me you're not one of them. You were the one I could count on the most to do the right thing… not this. How could…?"

"No, hey man" Jason said quickly, reassuring the older marine "I'm not one of them, I snuck in."

Canaan's eyes switched from worried shock to relief as he let out a sigh and released his captive. He took up the sheets which were still wrapped around the miniature Luffy and gave Jason an arm, hauling him up so they stood side by side.

"Jason, I have to get this kid out of here" he said sternly, looking back and forth down the halls to see if anyone else was coming.

Jason looked down at the chibi-sized Luffy and blinked in surprise. "That's the Straw Hat's captain? A bit young don't you think?"

"It's hard to explain but let's just say he has the ability to shrink, and since these people have been putting him through some ridiculous crap he no longer had the strength to make the escape. He's easier to carry like this. However, I don't know how much longer we have till he goes back to his original size."

Jason looked down at the small captain. He had lost consciousness at some point along the way due to the gasses that had filled the hallways. The boy looked so exhausted and pale, and Jason knew immediately that he was on the kid's side and that he had to help them escape pronto.

"Alright Jason, I've been running for several minutes down these hallways and I still have no idea where I am, so, lead the way."

"Err…" Jason mumbled as he turned his head to look back from where he came. Perhaps if they could make it back to the commander's sleeping quarters they could leave the way they came.

"Err!" Canaan exclaimed "tell me you know how to get out of here."

"Of course I do! Grab the kid and follow me."

Canaan cocked an eyebrow at him but did as he was told. Together the two sprinted down the passageway, ignoring the blaring alarm that continued to echo loudly throughout the base.

Suddenly a shot rang out and Canaan felt a searing pain in his left side. He let out a grunt but turned to face the attacker. Behind them stood a commander who had been hiding in one of the rooms to ambush them. Four other men stepped out behind him and another five came out in front of the escapees. They were surrounded and in serious trouble. Canaan growled in frustration, clutching his bleeding side but showing no signs of weakness.

Then, as if to add insult to injury, Luffy began to grow back to his original size. Regaining some consciousness he began to weakly fumble at the sheets that had now become tight around his larger body. Canaan still supported him with his free right arm and assisted him in loosening the cloth.

"Crap" James mumbled "perfect timing."

"Quite a run you guys had" one of the commanders sneered "but it was foolish of you to think you could get out of here by yourselves. Now behave and we'll take you back to your cell and treat that wound Canaan."

The elite scowled. Jason was at a loss as to what to do. He knew that even if he tried to take out the men and sacrifice himself, it was unlikely he could manage to down all of them.

Suddenly, Canaan snatched one of his dual blades from him and held it up to Luffy's neck. The boy's head easily gave to the pressure of the knife and rolled back, resting on the elites shoulder. The blade remained poised threateningly at his throat but he knew he needed to be the hostage in order for Canaan to have any chance of getting them out of there. Not that he really could have done anything to resist. Canaan was the only thing keeping him from collapsing to the floor. His eyes couldn't focus on anything so he just let himself gaze up at the ceiling, weakly panting to as his lungs still fought to function with the alien gas still pumping into them.

"I know you guys need this kid in order for this experimentation to continue and I know that you'd be in big trouble if anything happened to your precious test subject" Canaan said harshly.

One of the commanders scoffed. "You won't kill him. You must be stupid to think we would be tricked into thinking you would. The whole point of your escape is for his well-being, not your own."

"You see that's where you're right. I do care about the boy's well-being, but right now death isn't exactly the worst of his options. He and I both have come to the realization that he will either die during the experimentation, or he will be executed after you get what you want out of him. It's a lose-lose. Killing him now would be more honorable and much less painful than what he would be facing in your hands."

Luffy's expression did not change but he contemplated what the elite had just said. It was true that death by his hands would be easier than the alternative, but he also had a crew he was waiting for, and giving up his life for his own comfort would be doing them a disservice he knew he would never forgive had he been in their shoes. At the moment though, he hoped the marine was bluffing and kept quiet.

"Or we could just wait until you bleed out right here and take him from you once you've collapsed" the commander argued, frustrated with the elite's threatening words.

Jason remained silent, feeling very much like the odd one out. None of the commanders would know why he was assisting the escapee, nor did Canaan really know why he was really here.

There was a long moment of soundless tension when a piece of the vent above them crashed down on one of the commander's heads. It was followed by a young man who came falling down on top of the commander beside him. In a swift motion he kicked the next man beside him and threw two tranquilizers at the commanders out of his reach, one of which was the marine holding the gun poised at Canaan. The other three immediately followed his example and took action against their opposition. Jason lunged at the commander closest to him while Canaan dropped Luffy, grabbing a gun and swinging it like a club into the face of a man who hadn't been hit by the darts. He swiftly but gently let Luffy go and charged after the other enemies. Due to the surprise attack from Orrin and the adrenaline of the other two marines, the battle ended with the commanders either unconscious or groaning in pain on the ground while Canaan and Jason only suffered a few scrapes.

Luffy was trying to get up, breathing heavily but his eyes had regained some if their clarity as he fought to work back the strength to be of use.

"We're just meeting a lot of new friends today aren't we" he said grinning happily. Orrin walked over and helped the struggling boy up, returning the grin and looking him in the eye.

"I'm Orrin, and yes, for now you can just say I'm a friend."

He then turned to Jason. "Well, this didn't go exactly as I had planned but I guess we'll have to adjust" he said, the amusement in his voice not reflecting the urgency of the situation. "I wish we could climb up into the vents from here but these lead to another source I know you don't want to come out at. We have to get back to that room so we can get to the surface."

Canaan walked over. He had balled up one of the commander's shirts and was pressing it against the bleeding hole in his side.

"Canaan, you're hurt" Luffy said with alarm in his hoarse voice.

"Yeah, guess I was wrong about them not hurting me" he replied, a light hint of weakness coming through, covered up with a gruff chuckle.

"Can't we do something about it?" Luffy said weakly, looking up at Jason, the new friend he had been acquainted with the longest.

"No time" Orrin answered for them "I can be patched up later but the commanders won't wait for us to get in tip top shape."

Jason and Orrin both took Luffy and helped him along the narrow passageway as the elite followed behind. Canaan kept watch of their backs with his newly acquired rifle and the others cautiously made their way towards the sleeping quarters. The trek went suspiciously well and they reached their destination.

The room was just as they'd left it, tied up, unconscious commander and all. The opened air duct wasn't far off and soon they were below it, preparing to head off.

"Would someone like to blow on my thumb before we go in? I'd imagine it'd be easier to drag a boneless midget than a boneless 180 pound guy."

Orrin and Jason both looked blankly at Luffy and Canaan let out a hidden chuckle.

"Well" he said "at least this will somewhat clear up Luffy's small size from earlier. One of you should just do as he says, bite down on his thumb and blow it up like a balloon."

They both redirected their blank looks to Canaan and he let out a sigh. "He's made of rubber, that's his devil fruit ability."

Their faces lit up in unison and Jason volunteered to get Luffy into his third gear. As they waited for him to be in that state long enough for it to be effective later they decided it would be smart to take advantage of his arm's size and use it to climb into the vent.

"Since you two are in better shape than the two of us, I suggest you get up there first and pull us up" Canaan said as he cleaned his wound with the sink water and spare towels.

"Alright" replied Orrin as he climbed up the swollen arm and scuffled into the empty air vent. Jason followed suite and soon they were both waiting in the shaft till Luffy returned to his shrunken size.

"We should head off now" Orrin said worriedly "small pirate or not. There's no way we have more than five minutes before this place is flooded with-"

His worries were confirmed as the door was rammed with what sounded like a heavy metal object and shouts were herd outside.

"Guess they figured us out" Canaan said, dropping the bloodstained towel and running over to Luffy who released his third gear and shrunk.

Another ram came to the door and it gave a little, the hinges bending under the pressure.

Quickly, Orrin grabbed Luffy and began to lift him up to the outreached hands of the other two.

The fourth ram at the door finally did its job and the first thing that came through the door was a dart. Fired with great precision the shot hit its mark, the small captain in the elite's arms.

"Dang" Orrin growled, tossing the boy up to the others as he swung his own weapon in the direction of the invaders. He fired repeatedly at the commanders who were at the door, downing the first few bold men in the front of the pack. He saw the ones behind them lower their weapons and take aim.

Switching weapons and continuing to fire, he looked up at the trio above him. "The only way any of us get out of here is if one of us holds these men off! Get out as quickly as you can!"

"No!" Jason shouted, reaching a strong arm down "grab my arm and we get out of here together!"

"And what? Crawl out as quickly as we can while the commanders just sit on their butts wondering where we went?"

"Dang it Canaan!"

Their shouting match was interrupted by a bullet that found its way to the elite's shoulder. He didn't fall, but dropped the gun he had been holding in that arm. Suddenly the firing stopped, and silence fell upon the room as the gunpowder cleared. The silence was broken from a wheeze that came from the air vent. The wheeze then developed to a sharp gasp, which was then followed by a scream. It was a horrible scream for it was that of a weak child, and immediately Canaan knew that Luffy was in trouble.

Through the gun smoke and the commanders who had filled the room walked a figure. He held a different kind of gun and wore a sporty sword on his belt.

"What the heck did you do to him!" Canaan shouted in anger, adrenaline keeping him standing.

As the smoke cleared, the scowling face of General Yu came into vision.

"Come now Canaan, you know I can't just let you take our test subject. Call what I gave him an… insurance that you, nor anyone else will be getting him out any time soon. You see, that's that same concoction that we put into him yesterday. It's quite a miracle of science really; speeds up the healing process."

"Yeah, I noticed" Canaan growled.

"The only difference is that in this case, the subject has not acquired and recent injuries, therefore the chemicals racing through his system will remain inside of him searching for where they can take effect. It's definitely not pleasant, and you won't be able to remove them anywhere else but here. So why don't you just return Mugiwara and come quietly."

"You're sick" the elite spat back at him.

"Give me the kid" the general demanded, ignoring the insult.

Canaan looked up at the gasping Luffy and realized with relief that Orrin and Jason had apparently slipped off during their conversation. The two miraculous additions to their group had managed to get out, reestablishing his hope for a rescue.

Luffy returned to his original size and peered down at the group with glassy eyes. His screams were now suppressed to pain-filled grunts and moans of agony but his expression said enough to reveal he was in excruciating pain. He had acknowledged that the two friends were leaving and hated the guilt that shown on their faces. This was a strategic decision, not abandonment.

"Come on down Luffy" Yu said prenatally to the captain "and we'll get Canaan here fixed up properly and you can get that stuff you of your system. Your options are very limited boy."

Luffy weakly dragged himself out of the small opening and tried to land as gracefully as possible. This proved to be unprofitable as he collapsed head first toward the floor. Before his body made contact with the hard concrete, he realized Canaan had poised under him intending to catch him. This resulted in both of them falling to the floor a complete mess. Canaan let out a shout of pain as his two bullet wounds were jostled in the fall.

"Now where did those other two go?" General Yu wondered aloud, clearly not worried about the two escaped me. "I bet they're somewhere in the air vents. That pesky Orrin is always slipping around up there. Guess the pipes need some cleaning out."

With that he turned and left the situation to the commanders to deal with the two on the floor.

TBC…

Wow, not a lot of the Strawhat crew in this chapter. I'm still developing the plot at the moment so hold tight. They're on their way. Thank you sooooo much for the encouraging reviews! I swear, it makes my day and it also motivates me to continue working on this seemingly endless fanfiction. I HAVE AN END IN SIGHT! Just not too close at hand. Please Please Please review. It means so much.

WezL- Thank you so much for the encouragement every chapter ^_^ you make me want to get more chapters out more often because I know I have someone who will keep up with it and let me know what they think. His crew is currently on their way! Slow going I know, but not for long. They will get their fun.

Ri-Chan 89- I'm so happy you're enjoying the story ^_^ thanks for sharing your feelings on it's development, that's what fuels my work.

Neko11- You're reviews have really gotten me excited about getting this story written. I am super mean to Luffy I know -_- I'm one of those cruel fans who write the characters they like going through suffering.

Allyluvsu13- wow! That rocks my socks! ^_^ thank you so much for the encouraging review! I hope to give you many more chapters and hopefully they will continue to keep you entertained

12The FallenOne12- LOL! You're review has to be one of my favorites of all time. I'm so glad you like my story and I hope that I will be able to update often enough to keep you alive and/or keep you from resorting to the awful alternative.

PS- would you guys prefer if I sent you private responses to your reviews or continue posting them on my chapters?

Thanks again!


	30. Catch Me When I Fall

Luffy and Canaan-

Luffy POV

Luffy saw Jason look at Orrin helplessly when the miniature pirate began to scream in pain. By now he had figured that the marine really didn't have any knowledge of the situation and had just gotten himself caught up in a mess of trouble, but Luffy admired the abnegation of the man. He didn't have to get himself involved but he had without hesitation. At that moment though, all Luffy could focus on was bearing with the enormous amount of pain he was going through. It had been hard enough to handle the rapid-healing medication when he was full size, but in his shrunken form the liquid had no room to disperse so it remained condensed as it spread throughout his bloodstream. He hated his inability to keep the pain inside and he hated to give the general the benefit of the doubt that he had any power over him.

"Luffy" Jason said, his voice coated with worry "is there anything we can do to help you? We can try and get you out if we go now." Even as the marine said this, Luffy saw him look back at Orrin whose face showed regretful doubt.

Between gasps of pain Luffy managed to wheeze out instructions to his two new friends who were clearly torn as to what the best action was to take.

"Go-*gasp* -leave us and get my crew- *wheeze*- s'no use all of us getting caught."

The two looked down at him regretfully but they knew he was right. They were the only chances the two had of getting rescued and their chances of escape were nonexistent. Nodding down at the brave pirate they silently slipped away as the scene below started to settle.

Luffy continued to scream in pain, no longer holding back, knowing that Orrin and Jason might be detected if the room was left to silence. Then finally, to his relief, he grew back to his original size. The pain lessened considerably and, seeing that his two friends were at least out of the room's air ducts, began to try and control his reaction to the medication, squeezing his eyes shut and tightening his lips together to keep his shouts inside.

He turned to look down at his wounded friend below, though his vision was failing and all he could really make out was Canaan's general shape. He heard General Yu telling him to come down and something about Canaan getting taken care of. He had seen the amount of blood the elite had lost and knew he would have to turn himself in before they bothered with his injured friend. With all the strength he had left to muster, he pulled himself through the small duct, wondering how he would manage to not land on his face.

Expecting the floor to be the next thing he came in contact with he brought his arms up to cover his face and break his fall. Instead he was intercepted by the strong arms of whom he knew belonged to Canaan. He knew he had been falling too fast for his injured friend to completely stop his fall and he felt a twinge of guilt as the both collided with the floor. Despite being cushioned by Canaan, the impact was more than Luffy could handle and unconsciousness took him.

Canaan slowly pulled himself into a sitting position, gently taking the shaking captain into his arms, hoping that the contact would in some way ease the boy's pain. The escape plan had failed and now he had only himself to blame for Luffy's worsened condition. His own blood-loss had started to truly take effect once they had gotten in the room and the additional strain he had just put on his body had sped up his deterioration considerably. He directed his gaze up at the commanders, his eyebrows furrowed over his golden eyes in an enraged glare.

"Oh don't give me that" growled one of the commanders as he grabbed Luffy from the elite's grip "you asked for this when you decided to do some kamikaze escape plan. Deserve worse if you asked me considering all of the men you took out getting here."

Canaan smiled, at least he had finally gotten a chance to bash some commander's heads in. If it weren't for Luffy's condition he would have considered it worth the two bullet wounds.

He found himself being dragged up from his sitting position and was roughly led out the door.

- Alvida -

Alvida's temper from her pirate days had flared up again as she stormed through the hallways of the underground base. She knew where she was but she didn't know where all the activity was. Everyone had directed her in the wrong direction and she knew it. The man in the control room had said it had happened in the lab, when she had discovered that no one was there she had made her way to the first commander she could find. He had told her that the problem was happening in one of the lower cell hallways. That was also a dead end. At that point she realized that there was something being kept from her and it was then that she began to believe what Orrin had told her. The secrecy would be unnecessary had everything they told her been true.

The alarm died down as she practically ran back to the control room where she could see everything that was going on. Bursting in, she yelled out in frustration "WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE?"

General Yu was standing beside a man at the controls and ignored the enraged woman for a moment longer as he gave the man instructions.

"Reverse the flow of the seastone gas through the ventilation and increase its rate of transfer."

He turned to Alvida and spoke calmly, "don't worry, there was an attempted escape from Canaan and Luffy but we managed to recapture them and they are being returned to their cells as we speak."

"Don't treat me like an idiot Yu! I have been directed away from every point of urgency since that alarm started and now you think I'm going to believe that it was simply Luffy and Canaan trying to escape? Tell me the truth."

The General's calm voice melted into an angry spat of words, his permanent scowl growing more twisted. "And what would you expect us to do if that man had managed to catch you and use you as a hostage? You weren't needed for their recapture and I didn't want you hindering the process; but really now Alvida, do you think we have time to be dealing with your tantrums every time an urgent situation arises? Try to act like the professional that we hired you on to be!"

Alvida's eyes widened in rage. "Is that what you call this! A tantrum? You and your men deliberately deceived me and you think I am out of line to find this important? I won't be abased by a lower ranking officer such as yourself! Tell me why I shouldn't have you demoted at this very moment?"

General Yu sank back. They were too close to completing the seastone gas for his plans to have a hiccup. Being demoted was not an option if he wished to keep control over the situation.

"I apologize Mrs. President; I spoke out of line, as was my decision to divert you from the places of urgency. I knew I could handle it on my own but I should have informed you prior to my actions. There has been a lot of trouble stirring up amongst the marines on the surface. I believe that they doubt our authority and are planning an uprising to rescue Canaan despite his betrayal. I suppose all of the stress led me to let out my frustration on you, and for that you have my apologies."

Alvida straightened up and calmed herself. The room, that had seemed to be buzzing with the tension, returned to its busy state with the men typing in different instructions and monitors switching from hallway to hallway.

"An uprising you say?" Alvida asked, looking out the window.

"Yes, and we have reason to believe that the Straw Hat crew has returned so we need to be ready for them. They might be more of a threat than the marines."

"Believe me they are" Alvida said, remembering back to her history with the pirates. "Do you have any suggestion on how to deal with the situation?"

"Actually I do. If you would let me I think I know how to handle it."

"And how is that?"

General Yu paused, his frustration hidden, only visible by a small twitch in the right corner of his mouth. He hated it, but for the moment he would have to play along with her authority over him.

"We make an announcement that if anyone tries to break anyone out of the prison, Luffy will be executed upon our discovery of the intrusion."

Alvida was taken aback by the hostile decision, but she had to admit, it would keep trouble at bay for a while.

"Very well, make the announcement and let's get Canaan and Luffy ready for the next test. How close are we to perfecting the transportable gas?"

General Yu, glad to be focusing on what was important replied "believe it or not, the next test should have it perfected."

- Orrin and Jason -

The two marines crawled as quickly as they could through the air vent. They knew they had gotten incredibly lucky to have made it as far as they had.

"How do you suppose it turned out that they didn't fire on us while we were up there? Do you think they might not have known we were there?"

Jason was the one asking the questions. The day had become a lot more eventful than he had planned and he was itching to have at least a few things figured out.

"That's what worries me the most" Orrin responded "I just can't believe we were able to get away. Perhaps there's something we-"

He was interrupted by a rush of air pressure pulling against them in the opposite direction as where they were crawling.

"That can't be good" Jason heard Orrin say as a whooshing sound came tearing down the air ducts.

Suddenly they were hit with a massive force of burning fumes, blasting them helplessly back down the ventilation system. Neither of them could manage a grip to slow their careening down the narrow passageway as they were bashed against the metal walls.

Orrin felt panic rush over him as he fought to scream, or even breath for that matter. The air that was hitting them was like fire to his lungs. He had been down through these vents so many times without even realizing the risk, but what scared him the most was wondering where they would come out at.

Jason felt his right arm snap as it hit against the wall of an intersecting vent opening and he let out a painful gasp. The air that filled his lungs distracted him from his arm as he fought for any hint of fresh air.

Then there was nothing.

They had finally come out to an opening and it was a drop off. Jason let his instinct take control as he instantly searched for something to grab on to before he fell into the abyss. He missed the ledge of the vent and thought he had been too late but to his undying relief his left hand found its way to a beam that was sticking out from the wall a few feet below the ventilation shaft. His mind, still running on instinct, quickly shot to Orrin. The other man had been in front of him but not by much and right as he thought to look for him he came blasting out of the shaft. From his limp body Jason knew he was unconscious and that if he didn't save him, Orrin was a dead man.

Pushing aside the thought of how grabbing a full-grown man in mid air would feel to his broken right arm, he reached out and focused in on where would be the best place to grab hold of. The unconscious man's shirt collar seemed like it would do the trick so he shoved out from the wall and dug his hand into its thick folds. For a moment the momentum made his job easy, but as gravity began to take affect he knew he was in trouble.

Orrin's body swung down and slammed into the rocky wall they were on. Jason let out a scream of pain as the weight pulled awkwardly against his broken arm but didn't loosen his grip on his friend. The other marine stirred at the impact and the scream snapped him back to reality.

As his vision began to regain focus the urgency of the situation did as well. He looked up to see Jason holding on to a piece of wood resembling a scaffold that was bolted to the wall. Above him was the hole they had just come from and he was amazed that the man holding him had managed to catch himself, as well as his own dead weight.

"Jason, are you alright?" he gasped up at the man holding him.

"Are you serious?" came the reply.

"Yeah, I guess that was a stupid question. I think I can make it to that wooden beam over there and climb up to help you if you can swing me a bit. Can you do that?"

Jason let out a grunt in response. Orrin assumed that that meant 'I don't think so but I have to.'

With a painful heave, Jason began to swing his body back and forth, using his leg for most of the momentum by pushing off the wall.

By the time Orrin could get himself to a point he thought he could make it from, Jason has shouting in pain. Orrin knew the marine's arm was broken, but he also knew that he couldn't help his friend if he was hanging uselessly below him.

With a final heave he released the arm holding him and lunged for the beam supporting the scaffolding. He latched on and had quickly shimmied up to the top, pulling his friend up to join him on the narrow balcony.

As they both sat there gasping for breath, they finally had a chance to take in their surroundings. Some small light bulbs lit the line of scaffoldings that rimmed the rocky wall. It looked like work had been done there not too long ago but clearly had been finished. The air was still thick and burned but there was oxygen there, at least more than was in the ventilation shaft. They had come out at what looked like an enormous, domed room, but as they looked closer they realized that what they were sitting in was actually the inside of the mountain.

"Holy crap" Jason finally let out "it's a volcanoe!"

Orrin looked down below them and was shocked to see that it was true. At the base of the interior of the sealed off mountain was a lake of a creamy while, bubbling liquid.

"What the heck is it?" Jason exclaimed more so than questioned.

"It's raw seastone."

TBC…

^_^ Please review my story. It really is the fuel that keeps me going and I am happy to continue writing as long as I know someone is reading. Another development chapter, I know. I honestly thought I was going to make more progress in this chapter but it took a bit longer than I thought to develop the scenes that were in my head.

I promise the crew will be in focus in the next chapter. I don't want you guys to think this is all about the other characters. I write fanfiction because I'm a fan. LONG LIVE ONE PIECE! And all it's beautiful characters.

Jaybird200- thanks for the review ^_^ I have now updated

Kitty-Bandit- You're review just made my day, and is possibly the reason I have updated so soon. I hope that the direction my story goes will continue to be enjoyed and that you will keep in contact because you seem to have my kind of taste XD. Believe it or not… I started this story in 2006 o_O and I do have an ending in sight.

WezL- I can't tell you how much I appreciate you're reviews. They always make me smile and encourage me to write more.

Neko11- Glad you have such wonderful taste XD yay for character abuse! ^_^ I could just burst that you like my characters. I agree, usually I'm skeptical to anyone other than the characters I know from the show, so that you like my characters means so much to me. Thank you.

Ghost of the Moonlight- You're review made me wanna burst with happiness. It was short but it meant a lot. I'm excited about finishing the story. I've been working on it for so long and I can't wait to actually get the climax on paper.


	31. Hostage

Jason and Orrin-

"Holy crap, so everything you told us was true…"

"Yup" Orrin replied as he heaved himself up to a standing position. "We have to get back to the others and tell them what's happening. From the looks of things, it won't be long before they're done with Canaan and Luffy; I've seen the progress they've made."

"How do we get out of here?" Jason asked, pushing himself up with his legs and cradling his injured arm with the other.

"I guess the way we came" Orrin moaned in response, turning back to face the narrow air duct coming out of the wall.

"Are you kidding? If you recall, that didn't go too well last time."

"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure that they did that on purpose to be rid of us and it probably won't happen again. Out of all the times I've crawled through here, there hasn't been once that this happened."

Jason looked at the dark opening in the wall and shuttered. He hated the thought of getting back in there, but the situation was urgent and he couldn't sit around pouting about his circumstances.

"Alright then… lead the way Orrin."

- Straw Hat Crew -

The pirates slipped quickly through the undergrowth towards the marine base. No one spoke, everyone's mind on their captain. The two days they had been gone had left them feeling empty without his presence and they knew they had to get him back pronto or they would lose their heads. The goal was to get to the base, find Orrin, get him to lead them to where Luffy was being held underground, bust him out, and sail away leaving the base in ruin. Zoro had presented the battle strategy and despite its straight-forward, simple design, everyone agreed to it enthusiastically. The truth was, none of them wanted to sneak in and out. What they really wanted was revenge, and what better way to get revenge then to bust up every marine that decided to get in their way.

They made good time and arrived at the base as the sun began to rise. The group made up of Zoro, Nami, Robin, and Usopp stopped to catch their breath before they made their way down. Zoro closed his eyes. His body had finally healed enough to give him the feeling of being a main player in the battle again. The weakness that had overwhelmed him when Luffy was captured had been eating away at him since then, and he knew that the only way to free himself of it was to get his captain back.

"Let's go" he said, turning to the others. Nodding, they followed him down the trail.

All of a sudden a number of hidden marines revealed themselves from the foliage around them, and before them on the trail was Paul.

Despite the familiar face, the crew went into defensive positions. Being surrounded by marine's never fared well for the group.

"What's with all the men?" Zoro said suspiciously, eying the strangers who stood on either side of them.

"We've been monitoring the trails around the base expecting your return" Paul replied.

"I'm struggling to see how marines monitoring the trails help us in any way Paul" Zoro said skeptically.

"A lot has happened since you left two days ago. Chopper and I went to sneak into camp to find information about the base but we were caught by these marines. It turns out that they have been left in the dark about whatever has been going on with Luffy in the underground prison. When the commander's imprisoned Canaan and Sky they began to grow suspicious of what was really going on, so when they caught us, they didn't turn us in."

"Wow… you guys didn't waste much time" Nami replied with approval. "We discovered that they aren't even from the government. Only one government official is over the whole operation but experimentation on humans with seastone gas has been deemed illegal by the world government. We need to find Orrin and have him help us get inside so we can save Luffy."

"Err… well, Orrin is actually not available at the moment" Paul said rubbing the back of his head.

"WHAT!" Usopp shouted in frustration.

"He snuck in early this morning with another marine to verify what he had said about what is going on inside."

"Oh great" growled Zoro, face palming.

"Chopper's in hiding back at the base. Come with us and Orrin should be back soon."

"Dang it!" Usopp growled "I hope he has some news on what's been happening down there."

"If he's not back by this afternoon, we can't wait. We have a responsibility to our captain" Zoro said solemnly.

"There's a ship coming from the other marine base" Robin said as they followed the group back through the woods. "We have reason to believe that the man in charge of all of this will be on that ship."

"Well at least we'll have all the rotten eggs in one basket" Paul grunted sarcastically. "By the way, where is your blonde chef?"

"On our way back we were attacked by a strong devilfruit user. It was a tough battle and Sanji ended up the worse for the wear."

"I'm sorry" Paul said apologetically.

"We are to, and we have reason to believe that the man will also be on the ship with the government official."

"Dang" Paul sighed "and you guys kicked our butts. I don't want to think about dealing with a man like that, and maybe there will be more."

"I wouldn't doubt it" Robin replied, keeping her eyes directed ahead of them. "I am thoroughly relieved that the marines here might actually be helping us."

- Orrin and Jason -

As Orrin had predicted, the seastone gas did not hinder their trek back to the outside. Nonetheless, the cliffside might have well been the end of the world.

"Uggg" Jason moaned as he popped his head out of the hole to look down at the waves crashing into the rocks thirty feet below.

"I know it's gonna be rough" Orrin said, digging his fingers into a groove in the cliff. He wished he could help the other marine climb, but his own head injury was making it barely possible for him to keep focused "but we have to make it back, for Luffy and Canaan's sake."

"Yeah I know" mumbled Jason as he pulled himself out with his good arm.

"Hey Jason, why are you working so hard for a pirate you just met? I mean, we know what's going on now, but still, it's not your problem."

"I could ask the same for you" Jason replied, letting out a sharp gasp as he lunged for another grip with his good arm.

"My story goes way back" Orrin replied "it's going to sound ridiculous but the president and I have a history. We were childhood friends and she saved my life-"

"WHOA! The president's a "she?"

"Yeah, she's actually Alvida the pirate."

"Seriously? What the crap!"

"It's complicated. Anyway, you changed the subject. Why would you care about what happens to the boy?"

"The way i see it" Jason answered, pausing to catch his breath, "it's easy for someone to live for only their immediate needs and close acquaintances, and in a way it's justified that they would do so; however, living in selfish safety doesn't seem to appeal to me. There's more to life than living it as long as you can. We have a responsibility in life to more people than just ourselves, and in this case, I believe the way Luffy is being treated has been a terrible injustice that I won't stand by and let happen."

Orrin looked down at the marine beside him. He could see why the men had chosen him to go into the base to verify the truth. They trusted him because he had a genuine sense of right and wrong and stood by it.

"Psh, you make my reason look rather selfish. I'm just in it for the girl."

"I still can't believe the president is a girl."

Luffy and Canaan-

Luffy's mind slowly began to surface back to consciousness and the first thing he acknowledged was that the pain had subsided. In fact, he was feeling rather good. Fresh air filled his lungs for the first time in what seemed like an eternity and he was surprised to find himself feeling energetic. Snapping his eyes open he knew immediately that he was back in their cell and he sat up, looking around for his friend and hoping that they hadn't decided to separate the two after the incidents of that morning.

Relief flooded over him when he spotted Canaan sitting in the cot across from him but he felt a twinge of worry when he noted that the elite's head was bowed and his body was slouched against the wall. For all of the times Luffy had awoken in that room, this was the first time that the marine hadn't been awake and welcoming him back to the world of the living.

"Canaan, are you ok?"

Canaan didn't react to his voice, causing Luffy's worry to grow and he immediately hopped out of his bed and rushed to the marine's side. He put his hand on his friend's forehead and gently tilted it back so he could look the man in the face.

The captain's touch was enough to wake him and his eyebrows creased in pain, his eyes slowly opening. Luffy smiled at him, waiting for the marine's glazed eyes to make eye-contact with him.

"Dang Luffy, you're looking well" he grunted out with amusement, returning the smile with a grin, though his eyes still radiated pain.

"And you look like crap" Luffy replied happily "did they shoot you up with that weird super-medication" he asked as he started to look over his friend for injuries.

"Not exactly" Canaan chuckled as he tried to push the boy's hands away from where the bullet wounds had been. "Don' worry bout it" he mumbled, his head dropping back to his chest.

"Like heck" Luffy said blatantly, easily pushing the marine's hands out of the way to pull down his shirt to see the extent of his injuries. He had taken note of both bullet wounds when they had happened and knew exactly where to find them. The captain's eyes widened in shock and rage as the removal of the cloth revealed burnt flesh where the bullet wound had been on his friend's shoulder. He hastily checked the man's side as well, seeing the same damage done.

"Those filthy dogs!" he let out an enraged growl "they sealed the wound by melting you're flesh back together! I'll kill them I swear. They have miraculous medicine filling this friggin place and they do that kind of barbaric treatment on you."

"Well, I doubt they were very pleased with that stunt I pulled" Canaan chuckled, once again pushing the pirate's hands away; not wanting him to look at the nasty burns any more than he had to.

Luffy didn't say anything in response. He knew they both wanted to apologize for all of the crap that they both had been through over the past few hours, but that neither was actually to blame for it. He straightened up and looked down at his friend. He looked like he had been dragged into the room and dumped in that slouched position. He gently supported Canaan's head and torso, moving him into a laying position on the cot. The man was clearly exhausted because he didn't even try to help lift his own weight as Luffy rested his head on the small pillow.

"They'll get what's coming to them Canaan" Luffy said more to himself than the man resting beside him "my crew will come and we'll make them wish they were dead before we're done with them."

- The Crew and Marines-

As they neared the marine base, everyone kept themselves hidden as they slipped towards the small building on the outside part of the living quarters. A few marines made their way out in the open to keep watch as the others snuck into the back door one at a time.

Zoro was the first to enter and grinned when he spotted the small reindeer sleeping in one of the bunk beds. The rest of the crew was close behind.

"Chopper!" Usopp and Nami exclaimed happily, a bit less considerate of their crewmate's sleep than the swordsman had been.

"Guys!" the ecstatic deer called out, popping off of the bed immediately, bounding into his friend's arms. "I missed you so much!"

The marines around them grinned to themselves seeing the happy reunion. It was a bit surreal to see the pirate crew they had been at war with a few days ago in close quarters with them, acting like any other group of good friends.

Sky made his way into the door, having heard of the crew's arrival moments earlier. He and Zoro made eye-contact immediately, causing the marine to pause.

"You…" Zoro said, turning to face him "you saved my life."

"And you stabbed me in the gut" he replied, grinning back at the pirate who was taken aback by the boy's bluntness.

"Yeahh, sorry about that."

"I was kind of asking for it" Sky grunted, making his way over to the group "I wasn't expecting you to be strong enough to bring that sword up so quickly so I rushed in without hesitating. Guess I know not to underestimate you again."

Zoro chuckled, glad to know that the boy wasn't as suicidal as he had thought he had been.

"It ended up working out for the best" Sky continued "my imprisonment led to an uprising of sorts amongst the ranks here at the base. I have them to thank for my release" he said smiling at the group of marines around them, whose numbers had grown once again with the arrival of the Straw Hat crew.

Suddenly, there was a bell ringing in the distance and all the marines began to make their way towards the exits.

"Perfect timing" Sky grumbled "and I just got here to."

"What's going on" Nami asked, still hugging Chopper in her arms.

"Seems like there's an announcement to be made so all of the marine's have to get together to listen to whatever crap they have to say to us. Paul isn't supposed to be here so he will stick around with you guys here and hopefully will be able to explain all that's been happening while you were gone."

"Good" Robin said, smiling at the raven haired boy standing next to them "I'm curious to know what led a bunch of marines to help out a pirate crew."

- An Hour Later-

The crew had been let in on the whole situation and was anxiously waiting for the return of the man called Orrin. It was very odd to be sitting in a marine headquarters and not be in hiding. Usopp and Chopper had taken advantage of the situation and had brought it upon themselves to try on the marine uniforms and play soldier. Usopp, taking the role of the commanding officer, started ordering Chopper to do menial tasks for him like fetching his robe or grabbing him a snack. Paul laughed at their ridiculous interpretation of how marines acted, pointing out things that needed to be fixed like Usopp keeping his posture straight and feet together, or Chopper replying with a "sir yes sir" to everything the marksman said.

Despite their making light of the situation, there was a sense of rising urgency and impatience filling the room as they awaited further news. The tension was almost to a point of being unbearable when two marines came hobbling in. One was supporting the other's weight despite the bleeding head wound on his forehead, while the other looked barely able to hold himself up, sporting a clearly broken arm.

"Orrin! Jason! What the heck happened to you guys!" Paul exclaimed frantically as he ran over to relieve Orin of the other man's burden. As if carrying Jason was the only reason the other marine had been standing, Orrin's legs buckled under him and he began to fall to the ground. A crowd of hands caught his fall as Robin gently used her devil-fruit ability to move him over to a bed.

"Looks like you guys had one heck of a time in there" Paul said, taking Jason over to another bunk bed.

"Let's just say things didn't go quite as planned" Jason chuckled.

"Yeah" Orrin stated with amusement "seems that Jason doesn't do too well with wild parties."

"What?" Jason mumbled over at his dazed friend "how about you start talking like a reasonable person?"

"But despite how banged up we are, we had a great time didn't we Jason?"

"If you aren't going to say anything that makes sense then shut up" the other marine retorted with annoyance.

"So you're the Orrin we've heard so much about" Robin said making her way over to the red-haired boy she had just given a hand do.

"I always knew I'd be a star" he grunted sarcastically "yeah I'm Orrin, and I guess I can assume you are one of Luffy's crewmates."

"Yes, I am Robin, this is Chopper, Zoro, Nami, and Usopp. We are very glad to make your acquaintance."

Suddenly their conversation was cut short by Sky who came storming in, followed by a group of marines. He looked like he had something to say but upon seeing that Jason and Orrin had returned he turned his attention to them instead.

"You guys look like crap" one of the marines exclaimed as they crowded around them.

"So I've heard" Jason replied, grinning up at them. "Everything Orrin said was the truth" he said, cutting right to the chase "the inside of the base is like a giant seastone experiment lab and the commanders seem to be a bunch of thugs, many of whom I don't think any of us have even seen."

The marines in the room took the news without much reaction. Seeing their friend in that condition was all the convincing they would have needed to know that something was going on inside mountain other than keeping prisoners at bay.

"Great, so we all understand that we have the same enemy now" Zoro exclaimed, grabbing his swords and standing to his feet "now we need to save our captain and you guys can do what you deem best about the situation. Orrin, can you tell me where he's being held?"

Orrin opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by one of the marines. "You don't want to be barging in too soon" he said, not making eye-contact but glaring into the floor. "They just announced to the whole camp that if anyone tries to rescue Luffy, they will execute him on the spot."

The room grew silent as the crew looked back at him in horror.

"Not now…" Zoro growled out, a hint of pain in his voice. His crew knew that it hurt him more to not take action than to receive an injury, especially when it came to his captain.

Sky walked up to him and looked him straight in the eye, then spoke out loudly enough for the entire room to hear.

"We will not wait. You will get your captain back today."

TBC…..

Whew! Another chapter. I swear, all of the encouraging comments are really driving me to update more often. Apparently, if you leave a comment I will mindlessly start typing the next chapter XD

Looks like we're finally getting to see some action. I've been dying to get to the climax so I'm very excited that the time is drawing near.

Jaybird200- thanks for the review ^_^ I do want to get back to the crew, so hopefully we'll be seeing a lot of them in the next few chapters

Tare-chan- wait no longer! Thanks for the review. I'm sure they'll get out before the story is over

Kitty-bandit- once again, I do believe you're reviews alone are enough to make me write each chapter. Lol, I guess I do like Jason more than I thought XD he wasn't supposed to be a main character but he grew on me. Thank you so much for your encouragement. Few things make me so happy as a review like yours ^_^

Ghost of the moonlight- thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it and hopefully Luffy will be reunited with his crew in the upcoming chapters. I would say the next one but my chapters don't seem to cover as much ground as I think they will so it will probably be a few more chapters before they officially get together.

Luithia Clen- It makes me sooo happy that you like Canaan. It's hard to warm up to OCs in a fanfiction, so I'm really glad he's to your liking. I have big plans for the finale, so sit tight ^_^ and I hope it is to your satisfaction

Avatoa- very soon. It will probably be several chapters long, but the rescue should be occurring very shortly.

Ri-Chan 89- I know right? I've never updated so often but the reviews have been so encouraging lately that I've been driven to write more. That and I'm dying to finally get to the climax. It's been crammed here in my head dying to get out, and now that I'm slowly getting it out, it wants to just all come out at once. I'm so glad you're enjoying it and your encouraging words just make me sooo happy you can't even know ^_^

Seriously guys, I have a deviantart account (I'm "Zinfer" and I actually have some illustrations from this story in there if you wanna check it out) and I get reviews all the time there but there's something about fanfiction reviews that make me so happy. I guess it's that someone would take the time to read what I have written and then tell me what they think about it. So once again, thank you.


	32. Final Test

-The Crew and the Marines-

"Whaatt?" Usopp, Nami and Chopper exclaimed in unison. The rest of the marines cocked their heads in bewilderment, as well as voicing their own doubts about what the grey-haired marine had said.

"I think I'm beginning to like you" Zoro said, grinning wickedly.

"What exactly are you proposing?" asked Robin.

"It's simple really" Sky answered "we infiltrate, just like Orrin has been doing, with someone to keep watch for Luffy's execution. Then, with him as insurance, we can carry on as planned. Orrin, do you know how to get the doors open?"

"I never would have been able to open the gates alone, but perhaps with a distraction and some backup I could get them open. I don't know some of the codes for the locked cells though."

"Actually" Robin chimed in "we saved a man while we were at the other marine base that I think you are acquainted with. He said his name was Bansi and while we were on our way back he gave us some information to pass on to you."

"You… you saved Bansi?" The relief in Orrin's voice could almost be felt by everyone in the room.

"Yes, he is safe back at our ship taking care of our chef, as well as himself. He was a little worse for wear when Sanji broke him out of prison, and by the time we got back to the Merry Go, they both needed rest more than anything."

Orrin sat up and put his head in his hands, hoping to hide the overwhelming stream of emotions that had spread across his face. "I can't thank you enough. Bansi, he… he's been like a father to me. I've been torn apart trying to figure out how to save both him and Alvida, but knowing he's safe means I can focus all of my attention on this marine base."

"Glad we could help" Nami said happily.

"Bansi's message to you was that each security code is different according to what room and floor it is on. There is a basic set of original digits as the code, but you have to subtract by the digits of the room itself."

"Dang, no wonder that blasted code didn't work anywhere! I had worked so hard to figure out that security code, only to have it not work for me; but now we should have free reign in that blasted prison."

"Perfect" Sky said grinning "so we send Paul in to keep watch over Luffy to make sure no execution will take place. Orrin and Zoro will make their way into the control center where they will open the doors. I've seen what you can do with a sword Zoro, so I'm sure I can trust you to take care of Orrin."

"Stop treating me like a damsel in distress" whined Orrin from the bunk bed.

"You look like you just fell down a cliff; you've earned the right to be cared for, just like all the other cooperative people with injuries" Sky retorted, looking down at the scowling man. "While Orrin and Zoro are sneaking in, we will start a riot outside, making as much of a mess as possible as a distraction. Once the doors are opened we can charge in, find Luffy and Canaan, and arrest the people in charge of all of this."

Zoro suddenly burst into laughter causing the eyes in the room to look in his direction.

"What's so funny?" Nami asked in confusion.

"Oh nothing, just the thought of us arresting someone seems a bit ridiculous to me."

-Luffy and Canaan -

Luffy heard the thick cell door open and sat up. Several commanders walked in and smirked at the glare he gave them.

"I hope you're feeling better" one scoffed "because it's time for your exercise; don't want you getting chubby on us."

Luffy smiled at him and then suddenly blasted a fist into the man's face. Blood spurted everywhere from the commander's broken nose and he let out a shout of rage and pain. The captain's patience was running out with the guards and controlling his temper was hardly possible anymore despite the consequences.

Every commander in the room lifted their guns in defense but the pirate made no more offensive action; he just stood there, glaring at the commander who had dropped to the floor to hold his bloody face in his hands.

One of the commanders grabbed Canaan from his cot and lifted him to his feet. He slapped the marine across the face, causing him to grunt in pain as his eyes fluttered open. Luffy growled at the man but held his peace, knowing that, if he pushed it, the elite would be the one taking more punishment.

"Try another stunt like that and he'll get more than a hit in the face" the commander said, shoving Canaan forward. The marine struggled to balance himself on his weak legs but managed to straighten up and make his way towards the door, his head still drooped."

"Canaan" Luffy said with concern, rushing to the elite's side. One of the commanders reached out to stop him but he smacked the man's hand away. Taking his friend's arm over his own shoulder, the captain pulled Canaan up to support some his weight.

The commanders around them looked at each other to see if anyone would bother to separate the two. They all seemed to come to the conclusion that it would be better if none of the prisoners they were escorting were to collapse on the way to their destination, so they left it alone.

- Alvida -

The hallways were silent as the ex-pirate made her way to the testing room once more. The excitement of finally completing the seastone gas was sending goose-bumps over her entire body. She had given up so much and would finally receive her reward for her efforts. More money she could ever have hoped to steal as a pirate and an unofficial title of warlord, permitting her to roam the ocean doing whatever she wanted without the fear of marine capture; but still, the words of her old friend Orrin filled her heart with doubt and the balance between dread and excitement was surprisingly even inside as she opened the heavy door to the well lit training room.

Canaan had been tied to his usual chair, Luffy's white t-shirt had been removed and he was once again being prepped for the battle with bright blue paint. There were more commanders there, apparently as spectators of the fight rather than actual participants. After all, today was the day that the gas was perfected and they wanted to be the first to see the finished product in action. General Yu greeted her and invited her to join him in the observation room. Everything felt surreal as they went inside and the green light was switched to "ON."

-Luffy POV -

The captain didn't even wait for the commanders to attack. The desire to inflict pain on them had grown considerably since his last round and he was more than ready to take them on. He leapt for the largest one he could find and sent a jet pistol into the man's shoulder, snapping it out of socket. The man screamed and crumbled to the ground. Luffy twisted in mid air and swung a kick into a smaller commander who was flying at him from the side. He landed firmly on the ground and braced his legs for a gatling gun attack on the group of commanders who had decided to come at him all at once. They were blasted away like rag dolls, dropping limply to the ground once the onslaught ended.

Woots and cheers could be heard from the sideline by the other commanders as they jeered at the spectacle, making jest at the fallen men.

Luffy's fighting ability seemed to have advanced three-fold with his newly-found passion for hurting anyone who came near him. So much so that he had yet to take any hits at all.

However, the moment everyone in the room had been looking forward to had finally come. The metal balls were thrown into the battle just as before. Luffy frowned, dreading what was to come. He had known that he would be taken down the moment he walked out of his cell and all he could do now was hope that the commanders didn't have too much fun with him once he had fallen.

The gas seeped out of the openings of the spheres and soon filled the entire battlefield. The captain had avoided it as long as he could but there wasn't much that could be done to keep it away. The fumes filled his lungs and soon he began to feel his arms and legs numbing, just like they had when he had been injected in Dr. Acken's lab. The thought of being conscious but paralyzed horrified him and he tried to scramble away from the coming assailants but it was no use. He dropped to his stomach on the grass beneath him, his eyes, still seeing, but showing a glazed appearance, like one in a trance.

There were shouts of excitement and cheers from the crowd of on-looking spectators but the green light stayed on. General Yu, Alvida, and the other scientists in the lab had to be sure that the gas was giving the expected results before the test was over. Yu smiled as he saw that the heart-rate remained the same as before. The boy seemed to be functioning healthily, but he was clearly unable to move himself. However, the general had to test the captain's resolve to see if any stimulant would cause him to resist the gas' effects.

Luffy heard the footsteps of the commanders as the slowly neared him. They were taking their sweet time and he hated them for it. It was a silent taunt.

"You still awake in there?" one of them asked, lifting him by his hair so that they were face to face. "I hear that you are. Let's see if we can't get you to come out."

The skinny commander pulled a knife out of his boot and brought it up to the boy's face. Luffy's expression remained dazed and unfocused but he was terrified on the inside.

"Luffy!" Canaan shouted in rage and worry. His own exhaustion lost to the adrenaline and fear for his friend. He had heard what the commander had said and couldn't imagine what the boy was going through to be paralyzed in a situation like that.

He saw the commander dig the blade vertically down the captain's face, overlapping his famous scar to make a cross. The man sighed with a sarcastic disappointment with the boy's lack of reaction and reluctantly stepped aside for the next commander to have a try with the downed prisoner.

Canaan looked away in disgust as the man, choosing a different route, started to carve around the blue paint markings.

"You see men" he jeered "these are the vital parts of a person's body, so you have to be extra careful not to cut inside the lines." As he emphasized the word "extra" he dug deeper into the raven-haired boy's back, causing his body to jerk against the pain.

"Oop, looks like I got a rise out of him" he said triumphantly.

"No way you idiot" another commander argued pushing him aside "you just hit a nerve. I bet you'd get the same reaction out of a dead person."

"Luffy!" Canaan shouted. "Think about your crew! Think about Zoro or Chopper! They'll be here soon, so just bear with the pain a little longer! Think about anything other than what those dogs are doing!"

Luffy's expression didn't change but Canaan continued to shout to him. He needed to know he wasn't alone and that this, to, would pass.

The next two commanders decided to team up. One sat down on Luffy's upper back, straddling his left arm while the other grabbed it and began to pull. The bystanders cheered with amusement as it stretched with the distance placed between it and its owner. The shouts compelled him to stretch the arm further and further until he could no longer pull it any longer. He then pulled his own knife out of his belt and stabbed it into the limp palm, lodging it into the ground so that it did not move.

A soft whimper came out of the captain's agape mouth, but no further reaction was given.

"What's that?" the marine on his back taunted, raising his hand to his ear and leaning closer to his face.

"I think we might have gotten a rise out of him" he shouted to his partner several yards away "let's see if we can't get him to squeal."

As the commander spoke, he pulled a sword from its holster on his back and held it in front of Luffy's face so the boy could see it.

"I'm going to take your arm boy" he said wickedly, turning the blade in his hand. As he lowered the weapon over the captain's bicep he shouted out to the other men "let's see if the whiplash doesn't hit someone! Maybe his arm will have more fight in it than he does!"

"Noooo!" Canaan screamed in horror "stop! Can't you see he won't move no matter how much they taunt him!" he screamed at the observation room.

Suddenly the light was turned to red and Alvida burst out of the door, rushing out to the grass. "Enough!" she shouted to the men huddled around the limp captain. "Clearly he won't react to any physical stimuli."

"Oh come on president" the commander whined "you've got what you want, now let us have a little fun."

"No" she replied sternly.

"He's going to be killed anyway" another commander argued.

"She's right" declared General Yu as he walked out of the small building "we have one more test to do before we're done with him. We can't have him dying from blood loss before we are sure of the products complete power."

"And what is that?" questioned the commander with the sword.

"We know that the physical stimulant won't cause him to move, but we still need to test the emotional."

Everyone looked at him in confusion. General Yu then turned to face Canaan and all at once everyone knew what he meant.

"Bring the boy over here" he commanded.

They did as they were told, propping him up so that he was faceing his bound friend. General Yu placed a button in the limp boy's hand and stepped away.

"Now Luffy, I know you can hear me so listen closely" he stated slowly. "We are going to start burning your friend. You can make us stop by pressing the button in your hand. It's as easy as that."

With that he nodded to the commander behind Canaan and walked back to the building. "Are you sure this is necessary?" Alvida questioned as she walked to his side. "It's pretty clear that the gas works."

The general turned to face her calmly. "Alvida, the most powerful thing a person has is their spirit. I'm sure you've heard the stories about this boy's ability to do unbelievable things when he himself should not have had the physical ability to do so. We can't risk that."

Alvida frowned and turned her attention to the screens and charts before her.

Canaan closed his eyes and prepared for what was about to happen to him. Though in his heart he couldn't help but be relieved that the commanders had directed their violent game to him rather than the boy sitting in front of him covered in blood.

The burning did not come from the back, but the front. The man had been told to burn him so that Luffy could see what was happening. The bright-red rod had been placed on his stomach right above his belly-button.

Squeezing his eyes shut and tightening his grip on the armrests, Canaan tried to keep the pain inside. He knew that this was hard enough for his friend to see what was being done to him, but at least he could keep the boy from hearing his protests.

"Just think about your crew Luffy" he gasped out "think back *pant*to all of the adventures you g- *wheeze* guys have been on."

The metal prong was removed from his damaged stomach and he let out a relieved heave of air, and then a deep inhale to try and clear his mind of how much his body hurt. Then, as quickly as it had been removed it was re-applied to his side, right under his ribs.

He let out a gruff shout and tilted his head back to look at the ceiling. His eyes blurred as the pain started to take over his focus, and then the rod was removed once again.

"You're kinda tough" said the man holding the burning metal weapon.

"That's because you're going for all of the easy places" another commander chipped in "see what happens if you go for an eye or his mouth."

"Oh you're just cruel" the man grunted. To Canaan's relief, his tormentor did not do as the other man had suggested, but instead jabbed the hot metal into his arm, digging it deeper than the other times.

He let out an unintentional scream of pain, no longer able to keep his suffering inside. Black spots began to fill his vision and he was relieved to discover that consciousness was leaving him. As his head rolled down once again he looked into the face of his friend. His heart melted as he saw a single tear fall from the captain's eye before his mind let go of consciousness.

- Alvida and General Yu-

"That was cruel" Alvida said regretfully.

"Oh come now Alvida, how many ships did you burn down in your pirating days? Don't you think burning or drowning those innocent people was cruel? We're doing this to stop other pirates from ever doing that to anyone else. This is for a greater good."

"At least those people had a fighting chance" she retorted bitterly.

"They brought the fight to us; of course they had a fighting chance. Let it go Alvida, we know that the gas has been perfected now. Don't ruin the celebration with your morals."

The realization kicked in as Alvida looked down at the statistics. Luffy was still functioning like a healthy person, aside from his lowered heart rate from blood loss. They had succeeded. They had created a gas that would down any devil-fruit user but not harm them. This was so that if any marine devilfruit user happened to get caught in the crossfire, he would not be harmed. They were going to be filthy rich.

Celebration broke out throughout the ranks of commanders, and more-so amongst the doctors and lab assistants. Drinks were poured and the crowds adjourned to the cafeteria to party. All the while, Luffy and Canaan, who had been lost in the chaos around them, remained still. Luffy, unable to move his gaze from his unconscious friend, lay helplessly, praying that someone would just take them back to their cells.

- Paul -

Paul had done as he was instructed by Orrin and had made his way along the cliffside, finding the ventilation hole. He took note that there was a thick lid latched above it and was glad that it hadn't been shut.

He crawled along the silent shafts, curious as to why no one was about. He followed a drawn out map and found himself at an empty sleeping quarter. His goal was to take its owner's identity when the man got back, so he, realizing that no-one was anywhere near, kicked the vent off of its hinges, letting it drop noisily to the ground. He then dropped down into the dark room, and found a hiding spot in which he would reside until the man returned.

TBC…

Whew! The last test has been done! I shall now carry on to some action ^_^ and I'm super excited about moving this story along. I know it's been a long trek of development but hopefully I'll be able to make some progress.

I know I was super super cruel to Luffy in this chapter. I won't be so unkind in the future and those commanders are gonna get what's coming to them.

Jaybird200- thanks for keeping up with my story and always giving me support

Allyluvsu13- I am soo happy you like Sky! I shall try to update as often as possible

Ghost of the Moonlight- I hope that my climax lives up to all the hype I've put on it XD just because I'm excited about it doesn't mean it'll be good. Guess we'll just have to wait and see ^_^ I would guess… arounnddd 8 to 10 chapters… totally a guess. All I know for sure is that my thoughts seem shorter in my head so we'll have to see. Also, there's a lot more of Sky to come.

EALM528- cool! I'm hoping to do some art for the fic soon actually. Now that I'm getting closer to the end I've been dying to get it written

Kitty-Bandit- love the 4kids theme song ^_^ Your reviews have been making me have a whole new passion to finish this fic. I'm gonna be honest, my OCs have actually been growing on me as I write. Of course my favs will always be the originals from the show, but it's been fun to have my own moldable characters in there. I hope you know that your feedback for my chapters makes my day and it always brings my own Luffy grin to my face.

TARIGARMA12- Thanks for the review ^_^ I hope that you continue to enjoy the fic

Ri-Chan 89- I am soo happy I made your crappy day better! I hope that the climax will be satisfactory ^_^ I also want you to know that I vocalized my happiness when I read that you know me from DA. I hope to do some art for the story soon. A llama badge! O_O those make me so happy! Thank you so much! For the llama, as well as the review.

WezL- thank you sooo much for the support over these last few chapters. It's really kept me going

Neko11- The reviews really have been making me wanna keep going. That, and the fact that I'm so close to getting to the action. Yes, the SHs are coming! I can hardly wait myself -_-' I wonder what you think is going to happen _ perhaps you know my scheme

Once again, thank you so much everyone! I hope you're enjoying my story and I hope to update soon ^_^ and for any new readers, I also have a deviantart account. I'm Zinfer if you wanna come by and visit.


	33. Execution

-Orrin and Zoro-

The pirate and the marine slipped through the same shaft as Paul had earlier crawled into. They had given him a two hour's head start so that he could settle into the commander ranks before they took any immediate action.

"Dang, how the heck did you guys fit in here" Zoro growled as struggled to push himself foreword, following behind Orrin.

"That's what you get for being so buff" Orrin replied a-matter-of-factly. "At least you're not injured; I'm not having a fun time myself."

"Yeah, the fact that you're up and running so soon is impressive. Just don't go passing out when the action starts."

"What's with everyone treating me like a wimp" Orrin mumbled in frustration.

Zoro snickered, then let out a heave as he squeezed his wide shoulders through the narrow metal shaft.

- Luffy and Canaan -

Some of the commanders returned Luffy and Canaan to their room, leaving them both sprawled out on their cots. Luffy let his mind drift, he wondered what would happen to them now that the general and Alvida had gotten what they wanted. Despite how he tried to distract himself, he was frustrated at his own weakness and the rage inside of him kept building along with his desire to destroy everything in sight and it could hardly be pushed out of his head. There was some relief though as he managed to blink and look around.

He heard a grunt as his friend snapped awake, and then a long moan as Canaan became fully-aware of his condition.

"Dang" he growled, pulling himself up into a sitting position "well that was fun."

He looked over at the boy laying nearby, making eye contact and grinning. Luffy slowly blinked in response, attempting to make some expression, causing his eyebrows to narrow a bit.

The marine didn't speak for a while, leaving the room in silence. He got up slowly and reached under his bed, pulling out a hidden plate of chicken and bread.

"I figured since they had given us such a bounty of food earlier that it would be smart to keep some in reserve. Looks like it paid off… even if it's cold."

Luffy couldn't respond, but looked longingly over at the food.

Canaan took a couple of bites, then made his way over to his friend.

"I would offer you some but I don't think you can keep any of it down. I promise once you can move your jaw I'll give you a bit."

He set the plate down and began to turn Luffy over to his stomach. Most of the pirate's wounds had been done to his back so he was sure that the boy was uncomfortable. The bed was soaked with blood and he grimaced as he got a closer look at the extent of the injuries.

Luffy let out a relieved sigh as the pressure was removed from his back, happy to finally be able to have some control over his breathing.

Canaan heaved himself up and walked over to his own bed again.

"It looks like they were kind enough to replace the sheets. Hope they forgive me for destroying them again" he said as he took the white cloth once again from his cot, ripping it into strands. He wet the makeshift bandages in the sink and made his way back over to the captain, silently cleaning the wounds and covering them with dry strands of the bedding. When he had done the best that could be done with the limited supply of materials he got up and washed off his stained hands, standing there silently.

"I can imagine you're angry" he said, breaking the silence "I know your spirit Luffy, and so did they. You won't be broken and that made you the perfect subject for them… because the most dangerous devilfuit user is one that has a strong will."

He looked back at the captain whose eyes had been locked on him since he started to speak. He grinned back at the boy as he set down the red-stained remains of the sheets.

"I bet you're dying to destroy something… let's see if I can help."

The elite suddenly walked over to the toilet, lifted the lid, and slammed his foot into it, causing it to snap off and crash into the wall. He then grabbed it again and flung it as hard as he could at the door, causing it to shatter into seven pieces.

Luffy watched wide-eyed as the marine went on to destroy any movable object in his path until the table's legs were scattered across the room and the toilet was reduced to nothing but it's base structure. Canaan then went on to grab his bed, flinging the heavy structure at the sink so that its base hooked on the surface of the protruding object. Crawling onto the mattress, he jumped into the air, slamming his weight down with enough force to rip the sink from its hinges and break the piping. Water sprayed across the room, soaking the marine as well as the captain, leaving a growing puddle on the cement floor.

Canaan plopped down on the bed, breathing heavily after such strenuous activity. He shut his eyes and leaned back, his face to the ceiling and soaking wet. The room was silent again aside from the sound of water spraying out from the broken pipe and Canaan's heavy breathing.

Once he had caught his breath he looked down at Luffy, surprised to see the captain's signature grin across his face.

"Couldn't have said it better myself" he spoke, barely above a whisper.

- General Yu -

"That's right sir" General Yu spoke into his communication snail "we completed the seastone gas; just in time for your arrival."

"Good to hear" came the voice in reply, "you've done well Yu, and now we need to clean our hands of this mess."

"Believe me, this will probably be my favorite part of the job" general Yu said happily "I just have to figure out where to start."

"Just as long as the prisoners and the marines not in on our plan are taken out, you can do it in whatever order you feel is best. We don't want any outsider witnesses to know who took part in all of this."

"I fear that there might be some difficulty with the marines. I don't think we'll have the element of surprise because of the growing suspicion among the ranks."

"Don't worry" came the voice on the other end "if you have any trouble, my guards can handle whatever problems arise. If worst come to worst, they could kill everyone on the base."

"I'm excited to see them in action."

"We should be arriving in a few hours. Have the seastone gas ready. Also, keep a look out for the Straw Hat pirates; they will probably be a bit more difficult to deal with than the others."

"Will do Mr. Able" General Yu replied, clicking his snail shut and stuffing it back into his cloak.

- Zoro and Orrin -

There were surprisingly no guards about as the two men made their way out of the vent. The air ducts near the control room were closed off from any open room or hallway so they had to exit the ventilation system a few hallways down.

"I don't like how easy this is" Orrin growled "usually there's at least one guard on every major hallway."

"I must say I'm disappointed" Zoro snickered "here you guys came back looking like you fought an army and it seems like this place doesn't even have regular guards."

"Well, to be honest, the guards had nothing to do with our condition. We were in the air duct and some crazy blast of seastone gas came and plowed us into oblivion."

Zoro tried to stifle a laugh, "oh, it seems like I didn't give you enough credit; it wasn't the guards that beat you up, it was … *snicker*… a giant fart."

"Maybe I'll just leave you here to find your own way to the control room" Orrin growled.

Suddenly, Zoro stopped and raised his hand to signal that they needed to be silent. An echo was heard down the hall of laughter and conversation. Following the voices, the two men snuck farther down the hallway. As they drew closer to the source, they found that the conversation was being held inside of a room down the passageway. They got close enough for the words to be detectable and slowed their pace, slipping silently past the doorway. Zoro peeked in and saw that the room was filled with monitors and computers, and the men speaking inside were wearing lab coats and had their back to the door, observing one of the larger screens.

The two managed to make it past easily and they hastily began to make distance between the room and themselves.

Suddenly, Zoro stopped dead in his tracks, pausing as the men's words continued to reach his ears.

"I'm just glad I was in the lab and not fighting that pirate. He really was something in there, but it just goes to show that it's brain over brawn. Once our seastone gas got to him, heck, even I could have taken him out."

Orrin looked back at the pirate with a worried expression. "Uh oh…"

The swordsman turned and slowly walked back to the room they had passed.

"Yeah" piped up another scientist "look at that, he couldn't even react to them carving into him like that. I swear, even I was a bit surprised at General Yu's willingness to comply to the commander's cruel nature, but these advances in science are worth a bit of sacrifice; he's just a pirate after all."

Those words struck the first-mate like he had been punched and he boldly walked into the doorway. It was dark inside and the light from the hallway cast his shadow across the inside of the room.

The men inside did not notice him standing there, nor did they notice him walk up behind them and look down at the screen just in time to watch the replay of the commander cutting into his captain's back. At that moment the men felt a presence behind them.

Orrin flinched at the screams that had replaced the pleasurable conversation from the room earlier. He poked his head into the doorway to see what had happened. The pirate had attacked the men in the room but had used the blunt side of his sword, not that it had made much of a difference. Blood was spattered across the screens they had been viewing moments earlier and bodies were scattered across the room. Zoro was holding one of the men up by the collar who had managed to remain conscious during the onslaught.

"Where is this "General Yu," and where the heck is my captain?"

"W-Who are you?"

"Straw Hat Luffy's first-mate; a.k.a. you're worst nightmare" he said, grinning cruelly and lifting his blade to the man's face.

"No no! Please! It was the commanders that did the dirty work, not me!"

"Your apathy is enough for me to kill you right now" he growled "and don't try to act like you weren't a part of this whole sick experiment. Now where is my captain?"

"Zoro" Orrin interrupted "we need to get the doors open now. It we try to take on every commander in here single-handedly, there would be a huge opportunity for the enemy to take your captain from under our noses. We need backup, and opening the doors is first priority. Also, here's what General Yu looks like… just for future reference."

The marine turned a glowing screen towards the pirate who slammed a fist into the man he was holding, knocking the man out, and turned to have a closer look. The camera was zoomed in on the general's sneering face as he made his way back to the observation room.

"General Yu is the one responsible for what has happened to your captain, as well as the real head over the gas experimentation."

Zoro frowned and sliced the screen in half, turning and walking out the door. "Then he will die a slow death."

- Alvida and General Yu -

Alvida had grown very tense since the celebration had begun. Returning to her office she had taken the small snail Orrin had given her in her hand and held it securely; felling very alone in the quiet room. Her heart was racing and her pride led her to believe that is was in excitement for her success but in the back of her mind she knew it was fear.

There was a knock at the door and General Yu announced his visit on the other side. She welcomed him in and he stood at attention.

"I'd like to say again, congratulations on your success Miss President."

"Couldn't have done it without you General" she replied, motioning for him to sit down.

He did as he was told and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "So the government will be here soon to purchase the seastone gas. They have been anticipating this for a while so hopefully it will be a quick business arrangement" he said.

"Good" she sighed, leaning back in her own chair behind the desk "so what becomes of the prisoners now that they've served their purpose?"

General Yu smiled and stood to his feet.

"Well, I've already given orders for Mugiwara to be executed."

TBC…

Another chapter! You guys who have been supporting me so much lately have really been my muse to keep going with the story. It's like your reviews feed my desire to write. Please keep reviewing so I can keep in mind why I'm actually writing this story ^_^

Ghost of the Moonlight- it seems I have been updating more often, it must be the encouraging reviews ^_^ I know I said I wouldn't be cruel to Luffy anymore… but that's just in the experimentation sense XD I also hope to finish the story soon.

Kitty-bandit- I can't tell you how much your reviews have motivated me to keep working on this fic. Go ahead and shoot me your idea and I'll see if I can work worth it ^_^ I'm curious to see what you've concocted. Awww, I'm so glad you liked "Rain," it's been so long since I got feedback from that story, it was really nice to hear you enjoyed it! We'll just have to wait and see what happens to Luffy and his crew ;) I LOVE your long reviews! ^_^ they make me so happy and excited to write.

WezL- You're reviews are so appreciated ^_^ I'm sure Luffy will bounce back, it's just the way he is

Neko11- I'm so glad that you're keeping up with the story ^_^ Much more beating is to come so sit tight. Thank you so much for the reviews!

Ri-Chan 89- I love that you can connect with the characters! That's one of the main things I want to accomplish with the story so thank you so much for letting me know. Luffy's pretty tough, but I'd say even he needs a little help when things get rough. Wow, you're review literally made me do a little happy dance. I'm so happy that you knew of my DA account! Thank you so much for the encouragement!

I hope to update soon! It's really exciting to finally combine all I've built up to this point into a final climax. I just hope it works out like I want XD


	34. Because He Cared

-Luffy and Canaan-

The water had stopped flowing from the broken pipe several minutes prior, and Luffy and Canaan sat side by side on the pirate's cot. The boy had finally been able to move his arms and legs and with the marine's help, he was now propped up against the wall.

The room was a mess after Canaan's rampage and the water which had flooded the floor, stained with the leftover blood from the sheets used to clean the captain's wounds, had begun seeping out of the space below the door.

"Can you stand Luffy?" Canaan asked after a period of silence. "Because we need to get out of here, or at least give it a shot. When those commanders come back, it won't be for testing, and I doubt they plan on just letting us go after what they've done. We are no longer valuable and I dread the thought of what comes next."

"Dang it" Luffy growled "where's my crew. If they don't get here soon I'm gonna scold them for being late… and yeah, I think I can stand now. I'll give you the most backup I can muster."

As if on cue, the door was jolted open and a crowd of commanders came in, sloshing the stagnant water that had been smooth earlier.

"Crap" Canaan spit, leaping to his feet. He had hoped for a bit more time before the men got there and had assumed that they would be spending several hours celebrating like the others.

"Look at this mess" one of the commanders scoffed, lifting the barrel of his gun to Canaan's chest. "Don't even try to make a move elite, unless you want to meet your maker before the boy does."

As he spoke another commander yanked to pirate to his feet, causing him to yell out in pain as his wounds were opened. Some of the makeshift bandages slipped from his back and blood started to run down his bare skin.

Canaan didn't hesitate. Slapping the rifle away from his chest, he landed a kick into the commander's abdomen, sending the man back several feet into the crowd behind him. Luffy followed his friend's example and slammed his head back into his captors face. The surprise was enough to cause the man to release his grip and fall backwards. Luffy stumbled forward, frustrated at his body not cooperating as he wished it to. It hardly mattered because a second later a commander had slammed into him from the side, sending them both crashing to the wet ground. Water sloshed everywhere as the two struggled with one another; the captain struggling to get the heavy commander off of him and the commander slamming his fists into Luffy's side.

Canaan grabbed the man's head and sent an knee into his temple, causing him to collapse unconscious to the floor. Luffy was lying dazed on his back, his blood dyeing the water around him red. The elite reached down to help him up but was halted by the sound of a gunshot and the ripping pain of a bullet piercing his side, lodging in his stomach.

"Canaan" Luffy gasped in concern as he saw his friend try to steady himself but collapse to one knee. Suddenly, a strong arm grabbed him by the neck and jerked him to his feet. He yanked against the man's hold, his legs flailing, causing water to splash in every direction. Another punch landed as he was socked in the stomach, causing him to buckle over.

Then Canaan was up again, throwing a broken table leg at the pirate's captor. It hit the man in the head, but unlike the commander from earlier, this one did not release his grip. Two men lunged at the marine, one grabbing his arms, the other sending a kick into his injured side. He screamed in pain, but kept his stance balanced and strong, yanking against the two new threats.

"Fine" said a commander in the doorway "we'll just kill you first."

Luffy saw him raise his pistol to the marine's head and knew that there was no escaping this time.

"NO! I'll come quietly! I'll come quietly dang it! Just don't kill him" he managed to yell out before the fatal shot was fired. With that said, he stopped his struggling against the man holding him by his neck and remained still. To be honest, he was surprised at the amount of energy that he had managed to use in the battle; especially considering the fact that he couldn't move his legs just the hour before.

The shot was not fired, to his relief, and the man motioned for the men to make their way out of the cell. Canaan yelled in frustration, continuing to resist his captors, but his new injury, in addition to the ones he had accumulated over the past few days, was finally beginning to take its toll on him. His legs gave out beneath him and the commanders let him fall to his knees.

"Luffy…" he gasped out weakly, before his vision went and he fell to the floor unconscious.

Once they had left the room one of the commanders handed Luffy his straw hat. He hadn't seen it since he had been taken to Dr. Aken's office and was relieved to know that it hadn't been lost.

"So you'll die as the pirate you lived to be" the man said without any semblance of care.

Luffy looked down at the hat, remembering back to Shanks and his childhood. He had promised to become the king of the pirates, which meant he could live in absolute freedom. Being executed in an underground experimentation prison hardly seemed like freedom, but as he thought about it he smiled to himself. He had been free this entire time. He had been free to give himself up for his crew. Everything he had done up to that point had been his own decisions and he would not be ashamed of the decisions he had made.

It was not how he had imagined he would die, but it was nothing he would be disappointed in. With that thought in mind, he pressed the straw hat down on his soaked head and grinned.

- Alvida and General Yu -

"What! How could you? There's been no sign of a break in" Alvida exclaimed in shock.

General Yu sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"Oh come now Alvida, he's of no use to us anymore… and besides… we can't have any witnesses to the crime we've committed."

Alvida froze."Crime?"

"Oh yes. This entire operation is against the law after all. Can't be caught with dirt on our hands" he said nonchalantly, opening his palms to examine his fingers.

The ex-pirate didn't respond, but her expression broke the silence as the horror of her pride's consequences came to be reality.

"I must say" General Yu continued "I have been dreaming of this day. After all of this time, serving under you, I can finally reap the benefits of my work. You've been doing some seriously illegal things here Alvida, I'll have to turn you in."

Alvida felt a chill in her stomach as she recollected what Orrin had said. She had had all the warning she would have needed to see this coming, but she had been so determined not to be wrong. She calmed her breathing down and stared Yu in the eye.

"So that was it? You create the seastone gas, pin the experimentation on me, then sell it for a ridiculous price?"

General Yu smiled, "glad to know that I don't have to explain anything."

Alvida grabbed her gas mask and covered her face; knowing that Yu would probably try to get her with the toxin. She then stood to her feet, wondering what the general's next move would be.

He just sat back, watching her with his arms crossed.

Then she knew. The gas had begun to enter her lungs and she could feel the effects on her body already.

"But… the mask…" she stuttered in shock.

"It seems that it's busted Mrs. President" General Yu replied lightly "and it looks like you misplaced one of the seastone cartridges around here somewhere. Very foolish of you."

Tears welled up in Alvida's eyes as she realized that all of the wrong she had done to her and Buggy's crew; all of the betrayals and cruelty she had committed had all been for her own downfall. But what really broke her was the realization that she had no one to blame but herself.

She grabbed the small snail Orrin had given to her earlier and clicked it on, praying that it would reach her old friend.

"ORRIN! They're taking Mugiwara to be executed right now! You were right! You were right about everything-"

She collapsed and heard General Yu swear and run at her.

"Orrin… I'm so sorry…" she managed to whisper before her body lost function.

-Zoro and Orrin -

The pirate and the marine had made it to the security room with only the hindrance of a few commanders along the way, of whom Zoro had taken great pleasure in killing. As they neared to door, Orrin informed Zoro that at least one general would be guarding the interior of the room and would need to be taken out or distracted before he could open the main doors.

The two snuck up to the door, looked at each other and prepared to bust in when a snail in Orrin's coat pocked burst into life, relaying Alvida's message.

"ORRIN! They're-" it began, but Zoro didn't wait to hear the rest of the message as he slammed the door open and dove in. He did not want to lose the element of surprise; especially if it meant losing time to fight a fair fight.

Orrin waited outside, listening in shock to the message the Alvida was relaying. Once it had finished he jumped in after the swordsman, seeing that everyone in the room had been taken out except for the general, who was struggling to keep the revenge-hungry pirate at bay.

Immediately Orrin went to work on the computers to get the doors open, grateful that he finally had the codes to do so. As he typed he picked up another snail and called in to Paul to alert him of the change in plans.

"Paul! You have to get Straw-Hat now, they're going to execute him ahead of schedule!"

There was no response on the other end.

"Crap" he growled, glancing back at the battle going on behind him. The general had managed to grab Zoro with his unusually large hands and slam him into a row of computers. He then reached for the marine who was hacking into the system but he failed to halt the procedure as the first-mate flew up from the smashed computers as if he was unscathed. The three swords found their target and the man fell back, covered in blood from the gashes on his arm and chest.

Zoro let out a huff then turned to Orrin.

"What the heck did you say about my captain?"

"They intend to kill him earlier than expected Zoro!" he replied immediately, throwing Zoro a piece of paper. "That's a map of the place. Go save your captain, I'll finish up here."

The pirate looked at him in horror at the thought that he might be too late to save his nakama. He then looked down at the scribbles on the paper and grew more worried.

"It's… a labyrinth…"his scared voice came out in distress, causing his friend to look up in surprise, then amusement.

"Not good with directions?"

Zoro's head turned, making eye-contact with the other man. "You have no idea."

"Well, I have to get the doors open so that your crew can get in. I have a good guess as to where they intend to execute your captain" Orrin said, grabbing the paper he had given to Zoro.

Finding a red pen, he drew a highlighted line along the path the swordsman would be taking, circling the large square that represented the testing room on the map.

"Follow the red line and that should lead you to your captain… and try not to get lost."

Zoro knew that his chances of successfully getting to that room before the day was over were slim to none, but he had no choice but to try. Snatching the paper, he ran out of the room, praying that by some miracle he would get to his destination.

Orrin went back to the computers, picking up his snail again to call in to Sky.

- Crew, Sky, and the Marines -

The riot had begun outside of the underground prison's heavy metal doors. There were shouts from the more bold out of the men about the secrecy and injustice that had been done. Nami, Usopp and Robin had been brought to the forefront of the crowd, all disguised as marines with heavy cloaks on. Chopper remained in the back due to his heightened senses. He would not be joining the others in the infiltration because of the condensed seastone fumes that filled the hallways and he knew he would only be a hindrance if he went inside. So instead he prepared his medical supplies, assuming that a battle was about the take place.

"We want Canaan back!" shouted Jin, leading in his side of the crowd. Other similar shouts filled the air, coming together to the resemblance of a roar across the face of the rocky hillside.

Sky stood at the front to the small army, his adrenaline building. Ever since his mother died he had submitted and followed orders, but he had suddenly been thrust into the leading position, and his friend's lives depended on how he shouldered that responsibility. Canaan had practically raised him and Paul, training them in combat as well as in strategy. He owed his life to the man and wouldn't hesitate for a moment to do whatever it took to get him back.

Suddenly, the snail in his coat started to relay Orrin's voice to him and he removed it from his pocket to hear clearly.

"Sky! I'm about to get the doors open. They've already sent Luffy to be executed so the second you guys can get in… well, don't take your time."

"What! Did you contact Paul?" he replied in frustration.

"I tried but I think he left his snail somewhere so he wouldn't attract attention. I just hope he's aware of the situation."

"Right" Sky replied, running to the pirate crew to inform them of the situation. "Take care of yourself Paul…" he whispered to himself as he ran across the broken ground.

-Flashback- Paul and Sky

"So you're up for this?" Sky asked Paul as his friend as he prepared for the break in.

"Are you kidding?" Paul replied, throwing the commander's cloak over his shoulders "I was about to kill myself waiting around while Canaan's stuck in there going through who knows what. I just want to get in there and kick some butt."

"Just don't start kicking butt until you absolutely have to… don't go getting yourself killed. If you can, wait till the rest of us get in there to back you up."

Paul chuckled to himself.

"What?" Sky cocked an eyebrow.

"It's just funny that it's not until you get demoted that you actually start to take command."

Sky huffed, "well, it's not like I have much of a choice now with the other leadership being of the devil apparently."

Paul smiled at him, putting his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"I'm proud of you Sky, and I know Canaan would be to if he could be here."

"Oh come on" Sky retorted, pushing Paul's hand away "I haven't done anything yet. Who knows, we might get our butts handed to us."

Paul frowned, "Sky, taking the responsibility of leading these men is half the battle. Not just anyone can do what you've done… and I hardly knew you had it in you. I mean, you're a stronger fighter than any man I know… but it takes a different kind of strength to take the responsibility of an army on your hands."

Sky grabbed his long black rifle, cleaning it with a rag.

"It's funny" he said "the difference between Canaan and I. It's something I see in him and Mugiwara that is hard to find. Straw Hat has created a small group of super-soldiers… not by special training or a great ability to command them, but by creating an undying bond between him and his crew. He is their center, but even when he is taken from them they unite together to fight for him, and possibly to die for him. Canaan has done the same. These men unite under me for his sake. Not because he had authority over them or because he beat us into submission, but because he cared for us and showed us that we were more important to him than just soldiers… Of course he'd be proud of me… he always was."

The two were silent as they loaded their weapons and strapped on their makeshift armor to keep the tranquilizer darts from hindering them in battle. Paul shoved two handsome pistols into the holsters on his belt which was riddled with bullets, then slipped a long knife into his boot. If he was going to have to defend the captain singlehandedly, he would need to be well stocked in weaponry.

Finally, they were both ready to head out and they turned to each other grinning.

"Don't get yourself killed" Sky said again, reaching an arm out to Paul who took it with a strong grip.

"Likewise" Paul said happily, pulling his friend into a bear-hug.

Sky was taken aback but eventually returned the hug with equal strength. Paul had been like a brother to him as they both trained under Canaan over the last few years, and if this were to be their last day on earth, he wanted his friend to know what he meant to him.

They separated, Paul giving him one last smack on the shoulder before turning and making his way to the base. Sky watched him go, then shouldered his rifle and turned back to the room where the rest of the marines were preparing for battle.

- Present- General Yu and Alvida -

The general had thrown the small snail across the room, but it hardly mattered anymore. Alvida was completely limp, laying comatose on the ground, her eyes glazed over but still seeing. Yu picked up his own snail and called in to the man on the other line.

"Mr. Able, Alvida is down but I fear we might have some rats in the base. I have the seastone gas with me but I don't think it will be as easy to get to you as I would wish."

"It shouldn't be a problem" came the voice on the other end.

"I can see the base already. I'll send two of my guards in to keep you safe and take out the intruders, and one will stay with me. Get your commanders together to take out the marines making all of that ruckus. I can hear it from here."

"Yes sir" general Yu responded, sitting on Alvida's desk and looking down at her. He let out a sigh after he clicked off the communicator snail.

"Now what do I do with you?"

- Jason -

Jason had been left in the living quarters to recover from his injuries and to stay hidden since the commanders had seen his face and thought him dead. Sitting in bed he pouted, hating to be left out of the fight.

It was a clear day and the sun shone through the open doorway as a gentle breeze blew in, cooling the warm room. He would have felt very relaxed but the sound of the marine's war cry could be heard in the distance, causing him to feel like a kid who'd been put in a time-out while the others went to recess.

He stood to his feet and walked to the doorway, blinking as the blinding sunlight reflected off of the ground and hit his face. It was a very nice day.

Then he spotted them. Walking through the trees were four figures making their way towards the base. One was riding a creature of some sort while the other three walked on ahead. Immediately he knew who they were; they were the ones Robin had spoke of earlier. His heart began to race, knowing that they were definitely enemies and that they would catch the marines completely off guard if they continued on.

Without another seconds thought, he dashed out the door in full sprint towards the base.

TBC…

And another chapter complete! We're moving right along here ^_^ Please Please Please review! It's been what kept me going over these last few weeks and now that the momentum's up, I hope you guys enjoy the coming chapters.

WezL- Thanks for another encouraging review ^_^ you're support has been so great to have. We'll have to see what happens with Luffy and his crew _

Kitty-Bandit- Thanks for the wonderful review I read your idea and I think it's awesome! I'd have to spend some time contemplating it and putting everything together but perhaps when this fic is finished I can move on to that one, cause I seriously think it's a great idea. I have another story I plan on working on as well (I don't know if you've heard of the show Supernatural, but that's what it's going to be on). Of course, this is all in the distant future as I try to finish this one up. You've really motivated me to keep writing. I thought I'd finish this story and be done but your encouragement has really gotten me excited about storytelling XD I'm having a blast! Ur such a wonderfully kind reviewer! I have some plans for the seastone gas in the upcoming chapters… but we'll have to wait and see how it all turns out *grins evily*

EALM528- thank you so much for the review! ^_^ but wait! The marines are good guys in the fic! We don't want them to die! It's the commanders and the corrupt gov't official who need to die! :O

Ghost of the moonlight- Thanks for all of the support! I really appreciate it and shall continue writing because of it ^_^ If you know anyone who you think would like it, feel free to spread it around :) There's still a lot of plot to go (though it's just about reached the climax) and then I intend to write another fic… but that's in the distant future. Thanks again for the wonderful encouragement!

Jaybird200- we'll have to wait and seeeeeeeee _ thank you so much for the review! Lordwilling I shall update soon!

Neko11- I'm glad you like Luffy and Canaan's little moment ^_^ you've been so encouraging and I truly appreciate it! I know, they're serious jerks! I hope they get what's coming to them _

Ri-chan 89- I'm so happy you like where my story is going! ^_^ I'll work really hard to keep you teetering for several more chapters. There's a lot of stuff left to cover before the story ends so I hope you enjoy the rest of the adventure! You've been to great and have made my day with your encouraging reviews! Thanks!

Luithia Clen- We'll have to see how payback goes ^_^ Believe it or not, there's a point to Sky's back story and he has a lot of importance in the upcoming chapters *wooo spoilers* thank you so much for the review and I hope to update soon!

Soncnica- you probably won't be reading this because you don't know One Piece and only read my chapter because I compared it to your fic… but your review made me super happy and I hope to do a good SPN fic to make you proud ^_^

Thanks again everyone! I hope to update soon!


	35. Punctual

- General Yu and Alvida -

Yu dragged Alvida down the hallway, a firm grip on the thick collar of her enlarged suite. Making his way to one of the many doors lining the hallway, he typed in a code on the security box and shoved the heavy metal door open with his shoulder. Tossing Alvida inside, he switched the light on, making his way over to a blank screen. He proceeded to turn it on as well, causing it to flicker as it sparked to life. As he waited for it to show the security footage from the outside, he removed the large outer suite Alvida was wearing, leaving her in a casual t-shirt and jeans.

"You didn't bother getting dressed up for anything did you? And here I was thinking you were taking the job seriously."

There was no response from his captive so he carried on in silence; fastening her hands to a set of chains hanging from the ceiling. After he was finished he walked over to the screen, observing the events going on outside the prison's main doors.

Smiling as he watched the riot taking place, he made his way to a speaker phone, holding down the call button he made an announcement to the entire base.

"Attention all commanders; unless you are dealing with Straw-Hat Luffy or on-guard, make your way to the entrance of the base. The marines are all where we want them, gift-wrapped for the taking, so don't hold back. Take them all out as planned but don't attack the two guards who will be making their way into the base shortly... And would Dr. Akins join me in room 40 to finish up some business."

-Luffy-

The testing room was just as it had been when Luffy had left it a few hours earlier, except for the daunting execution stand that rose up from the grassy earth. There was no wind, nor sun to comfort him as he was led to the wooden stairs. The commanders had threatened to give him a dosage of seastone gas if he tried to resist, which scared him more than death. He had set forth on the Grand Line knowing that death would be something he had to face at some point, but dying like a rag doll sickened him and he would rather be executed with honor than die as a pile of rubber.

Slowly he took each step, still weak from his previous experience in the testing room. He recognized the two commanders standing at the top. He had seriously injured them during one of their "matches" and he supposed that they had requested the pleasure of killing him. One had his entire leg in a splint, while the other had his arm in a cast and some bandaged across his face.

Luffy chuckled a bit as he passed them. There was a stockade attached to the floor of the wooden balcony and he assumed they wanted him to kneel and place his neck and arms in the indentions, so he did so. A heavy wooden beam with matching carved indentions was placed over him and locked in place so that he couldn't move.

He felt his heart-rate grow as the anticipation of his death grew closer. He heard the two commanders behind him unsheathing their weapons and he assumed they were either swords or spears. Fear suddenly struck him as he wondered if they would kill him quickly or have some fun with him first. Either way, he wasn't getting out of it.

Closing his eyes he took a deep breath and prepared for the worst.

The room grew quiet as the men raised their weapons.

Then to his shock, the crack of gunfire rose from the crowd below and shouts of exclamation and surprise filled the room. Both of the commanders behind him shouted in pain and he felt one land on top of him, warm blood seeping onto his back. His eyes shot open to see what was causing the chaos and was stunned to see a small commander making his way towards the execution stand. The other men in the room were coming at him from all sides but the boy was surprisingly agile and was making his way through them at an incredible rate. One of the commanders swung a blade at him, catching his hood as he ducked and skidded through the trampled grass, revealing the raven-haired boy Luffy had met in the woods earlier that week.

"Paul!" Luffy shouted in astonishment.

The marine didn't respond as he neared the balcony. A heavy-set man stepped in his path and brought up a large club that was about the same size as the boy coming its way. Paul reached him quicker than he had anticipated, crouching down and grabbing a large blade from his boot in one swift motion. The man swung down as quickly as he could but the boy was too close to get a good angle with the club, and he was too quick aside from that. Leaping into the air, Paul slid the blade cleanly across the commander's entire chest, freeing if from his flesh before he twisted in the air, landing on the man's shoulders and jumping off like the enemy was a springboard. The added height was enough to allow the marine to arc over the other, smaller, commanders and dash, unhindered, to the wooden stairs leading up to the captive pirate.

"Hey Luffy" he said with a huff, kicking the dead commander off of the captain "happy to see me?"

"Heck yes I am" Luffy exclaimed, his excitement building at the surprise rescue.

Paul dug through the commander's cloaks hastily, but found no key to the wooden stockade.

"Crap" he growled, making his way back to the pirate.

The other commanders were already running up the stairs and shots were being fired below. Paul, ducking behind the wooden planks holding Luffy's neck and arms, raised two heavy pistols and fired down at the men heading up the stairs. There were screams of pain and alarm as they dropped, some from the bullet wounds, some from fear.

The marine then stood again, firing at the men in the grass with their rifles raised. They ducked for cover and Paul immediately took advantage of the moment of breathing room. Taking his huge blade up, he slammed it down into the wood, causing it to be lodged upright. He then flipped one of his heavy pistols around and swung the butt of the weapon into the knife life a hammer. The blow was powerful, causing the wood to split under the pressure.

More bullets flew at them and Paul dropped behind the stockade again.

"Gosh" He growled, reloading his other pistol as splinters flew up from the front of the blockade; "just for insurance my butt! Must've been crazy to think that one marine could break a notorious pirate out of an underground prison. What kind of kamikaze-"

He didn't finish, hearing the sound of bullets cracking against the wood slow, he leapt up again, firing back and jumping to the front of the stockade. Quickly turning, he kicked the plank of wood with all his might, causing it to snap back, freeing the pirate it held.

"Yosh!" Luffy exclaimed with thrill as he jumped in front of his savior to block the bullets flying their way.

"Dang that's a nice trick" said Paul, before he was suddenly grabbed by the captain and yanked off of the balcony. He shouted in surprise and braced himself for impact with the ground, but instead was met with a face full of inflated rubber. The two bounced harmlessly off the earth and Luffy returned to his regular size.

"I call that "gum-gum-balloon"" the pirate exclaimed with pride.

"How about a friggin heads up before you start jumping from ridiculous heights?" Paul shouted in frustration.

"Oh shush! You're fine."

With that, the two dark haired boys started to battle their way to the metal doors. Luffy, fueled by the adrenaline, used a gatling-gun on the oncoming marines, then kicked them out of the way with a gum-gum-whip. Paul's movements were smooth and somewhat acrobatical as he dashed ahead of the pirate, leaping over commanders and firing his pistols in fluid motion. Slamming into the door he immediately went to the security box and began typing in the code he had just learned. It took a while to do the math that Bansi had described but Luffy held off them men while he went at it, and soon the door was opened.

As the two rushed into the hallway, Paul set the door to lock, then fired a bullet into the code box on the other side before the door slammed shut; trapping the men inside.

Luffy was panting heavily but his expression showed that he was clearly ready for more action.

"Your crew is on the way Mugiwara" Paul said, heaving some breaths himself, "but we'd better move before-"

He was interrupted by a blaring alarm and the hallway lights began to flash red.

"Crap" he growled, reloading his guns, "you need a weapon Luffy?"

Luffy smiled at him then lifted a fist, "I'll be fine."

"Sweet, cause I wasn't really looking forward to sharing" Paul smiled back.

Luffy expression became serious and he looked over at the young marine.

"We have to get Canaan out. He's been seriously injured and I think they left him in our cell."

Paul frowned, clicking back the hammer on his pistol, "those dogs. What did they do to Canaan?"

"Nothing he deserved" Luffy said back, directing his gaze down the hallway which was beginning to fill with a pale gas he had grown to know so well.

"Seastone gas" he added "we'll need to focus on avoiding it unless you want to carry my sorry butt the rest of the way out."

Paul looked up and frowned, "you got any ideas?"

"As a matter of fact…" Luffy replied happily "I think I do."

- Nami, Robin, Usopp and Sky -

An overwhelming sense of excitement came over the crew as the huge metal doors began to open. A putrid smell came wafting out of the dark passageway and a wisp of cool air hit their faces as if pressure had been released from can. The second the doors were opened enough for a person to fit through Nami slipped in, followed by the other three. The odor was fowl and the bright flashing red lights didn't add much to the gloomy halls. Robin had been given a mask to wear to help prevent the gas having too much effect on her but still she felt a wave of dizziness rush over her as she followed the other three.

Orrin had given Nami the map since she would be the best to use it and she led the way down the corridor. According to the drawing, the place that Luffy was most likely at was in the large testing room on one of the basement floors, therefore the first thing they needed to find were the stairs.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps could be heard echoing down the hallway and the small group slipped into one of the doors lining the wall. Leaving it cracked open to see what was coming, they all grew quiet as they peeked out.

The source of the marching footsteps was an army of commanders making their way down the passage towards the waiting marines outside. Sky's expression changed at the realization of what was about to take place. He had prepared the men outside for battle in case it came about, but no-one was expecting a full-out war. These commanders weren't just going out to settle down the riot; they were going out to kill the protesters.

"We must hurry" he said once the last commander had gotten out of hearing range "I have to get back out there to the men."

"You don't have to tell me twice" Usopp said, shoving the door open again and charging down the hallway. The three found their way to the narrow staircase, their footsteps echoing against the rusted metal.

"Almost there" said Nami as they reached the floor that Luffy would be on.

- Luffy and Paul -

"This is crazy" Paul said as he grabbed Luffy's hand.

The pirate had blown himself up like a balloon again and was ready to give his idea a try.

"Hold on tight" Luffy said grinning as he released the air from his mouth. The two blasted down the hallway, propelled by the rapid release of air from the captain's body. Luffy prayed that the little burst would be enough to get them through the seastone gas as he felt their speed decrease with the loss of air, causing them to skid to a stop on the dirty floor.

Holding his breath, the pirate opened his eyes to see that the wall of pale gas was behind them, leaving him feeling only a little weak because of the other gases pumping through the base.

"Wow… I can't believe that actually worked" Paul said, sitting up and leaning back on his arms.

Their moment of relaxation was cut short by the yells the commanders they had left in the testing room. The voices drew closer and the two escapees knew that they were coming through the gas and that they must have gotten out of the room. The gas wouldn't affect them because none of them were devil-fruit users.

"Guess they're smarter than they looked" Paul growled, standing to his feet.

Suddenly, a huge man came bursting out of the haze ahead of the voices, which came as a surprise to both the marine and the pirate. Luffy had just begun to regain his bearings as the man bore down on him with a massive ax.

"Dang it" Paul yelled as he went to bring his pistols up, but it was too late.

All of a sudden, ten hands grew out of the man's back, grabbing hold of his weapon before it was swung. Confusion flashed across his face, as well as the other two. The commander shouted as something splattered across his face, causing him to stumble backwards then yell in agony as the hot sauce burned his eyes.

Paul looked over at Luffy to see the pirate grinning ecstatically.

"Bout time you guys got here."

"Better late than never captain."

TBC…

AANDD another chapter completed! Please please please leave feedback so I can know what you guys liked or disliked about the chapter; as well as something to motivate me to keep writing. You guys have been so great and I hope to keep you entertained up until the end of the fic, so sit tight ^_^

I am going to re-post the first chapter. I realized that my writing style has developed a bit since I posted it and I don't want people to click on my story to see writing that I did when I was… 16. Wow. Not that I hate it, but I wanted to change the mood of the introduction chapters a bit, as well as squeezing in some plot developments. Please read it and let me know what you think

Sess18- yeah, Zoro's in trouble. Especially since he's in a maze-like setting XD but no worries, he'll find his way eventually. Thanks for the review

Ghost of the moonlight- You couldn't have said anything to make me happier. Oda is my hero O_O one of the best storytellers of all time. So for you to compare me to him is very flattering ^_^ thank you so much. I hope my fic continues to entertain you! I can't tell you how much your reviews are appreciated.

Kitty-bandit- I'm sure you've noticed by now that my rate of updating has increased an incredible amount recently. I mean, I used to update once every four months… so this is very new to me to have so many chapters written so soon. …. Of course I'm sure I'm gonna regret this when I have some project due in my classes XD Thank you sooooo much for the reviews! I want my fanfiction to make you more happy as it develops!

WezL- nope, Zoro must always be directionally challenged ^_^ thank you so much for your reviews! When I check my email and see "review alert" I do a little happy dance… seriously… _

()- I love you to ^_^ thanks

Neko11- yay! I really want to keep Oda's brilliant characters in character! It's easy to write fanfiction when the original author has already gone through the trouble of character development… you can kinda feed off of his work. I hate it when fanfiction writers throw some random mood-swing or whatnot into the story that would never happen in the series… and with that said… I'm gonna be paranoid cause I'm sure I'll do that at some point in my story XD way to go Tiff. Thank you so much for the review! You've been so encouraging! ^_^

I hope to update soon! And once again, please check out the new first chapter


	36. I Owe a Debt

Rescue

Zoro was seriously ticked. He had run into more dead ends than he would have thought possible. Even the ridiculous maze of a map seemed simpler than the actual hallways he had run through, and to add to his misery, the place seemed to stink more now than it had when he first entered… perhaps it had something to do with the alarm blaring; another annoyance.

He wished he had a den-den mushi or something to let him know what was going on. Was his captain still in danger? Had Paul gotten there in time? He had wondered where all of the commanders had gone, but the announcement over the speaker had answered his question. They were heading out to battle the marines outside, another reason he needed to find his way.

"Crap it all!" he shouted as he came to yet another dead end.

- Luffy, Crew, Sky, and Paul -

Nami, Usopp, and Sky all charged past their two friends, into the pale gas where the oncoming attackers' rapid footsteps could be heard. Robin did not enter the gas but came to its edge and crossed her arms in order to battle from a distance with her hana-hana no mi. Not much could be seen from the outside but the sounds of battle could be heard and yells of pain (distinguishably from the commanders) echoed through the narrow passage. Paul stayed with Luffy; he figured the others could handle the rest, he had done more than enough fighting to earn a breather, and there was always a chance of an enemy coming from their side. Luffy was clearly unhappy. He couldn't afford to go into the gas-filled hallway and risk becoming to rag-doll, but he longed to join his crew in battle. Paul put his hand on the pirate's shoulder and said "they'll be fine Mugiwara. I'm sure you'll get your chance to kick some more butt soon."

A minute passed before the shouts died down and, once again, the alarm was the only sound blaring through the hallway. Robin turned to Luffy, the adrenaline of the fight passing and the relief of seeing her captain written plainly on her face. The others came out, panting from the recent activity, but unharmed for the most part.

Luffy struggled to his feet and stumbled forward to embrace his crewmates, but a look of surprised confusion crossed his face as his knees buckled. They all rushed to their captain, Nami catching him in her arms, allowing him to rest his head on her shoulder. He let out a sigh and allowed himself to be completely supported by his navigator, a relieved smile of pure joy spreading across his weak face. Nami placed her hand on her captain's head, hugging him closer into a full embrace. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to let her emotions get the best of her as it hit how much she had missed him. She flinched as she felt something sticky and wet touch her skin. Opening her eyes, she looked down to see blood slowly oozing from the wounds on her captain's back and she felt an overwhelming feeling of concern and rage build in her chest.

Her reaction was interrupted by a smack on her head.

"Nami, don't hog Luffy! We missed him too, so hand him over so I can give him a hug" Usopp demanded, grinning at his captain.

Robin laughed as the navigator sighed and let Luffy go to take Usopp's arm, who hauled him up into a standing embrace.

Paul and Sky had had their own reunion, leaving the pirate crew to have their time together. The two friends gave each other a fist bump then turned to face the others as they traded hugs and words.

"We really missed you captain" Robin said as Luffy turned to her, "and we're sorry it took so long to get back to you."

The raven-haired boy grinned, "you don't need to apologize; I know you did everything you could, you always do."

He said it without any hint of hesitation or doubt; a reflection of his absolute faith in them.

Leaning heavily on his marksman, Luffy perked up as a familiar smell broke through the usual sickening scent of the gas-filled hallway.

"Sanji figured you'd be wanting a bit to eat once we broke you out, soooo…" Nami pulled off her backpack and opened it up to reveal a pile of bread and steak "… he fixed you a snack to hold you off till we get back to the ship."

"MEAT!" Luffy exclaimed ecstatically as he dove into the food before him.

While their captain was distracted with eating, the other three went to work to determine the extent of his injuries. The boy was filthy; the dirty water from his cell still staining his uncovered chest and back, while the blue markings could still be seen but they were faded and smeared. The ripped sheets that Canaan had used to patch up his back had fallen off during the fighting and he still held his injured hand protectively close to his stomach as it bled out. He had re-opened the wound during the escape in the test room.

Robin reached into her layers of white cloaks and pulled out some alcohol, then she ripped some of her robe into strips to re-cover the gashes.

"We don't have much time so we'll have to do a quick patch-up for now" she said, looking at the others, "we can figure out what our next move is while we do that."

Nami nodded, making her way over to face Luffy while Robin unscrewed the bottle and prepared to clean his wounds.

"This is going to burn, but we're here Luffy, and soon we're gonna be sailing the Grand Line again."

Luffy had finished the last of the food and turned his gaze towards his navigator as she placed her hands on his face.

He squeezed his eyes shut tightly in pain and leaned into her palm as Robin poured the cleansing liquid into the bleeding gashes on his back. She couldn't help but once again be amazed at the strength of her captain. He must have been in so much pain, but held his composure, his heavy breathing the only resonance of his suffering as the historian wiped the dirt and grime from his back.

Suddenly the den-den-mushi in Sky's pocket went off and he pulled it out to answer it. The voice on the other end belonged to Orrin.

"Did you guys manage to get Luffy?" he asked.

"Heck yeah we did" Usopp answered "I singlehandedly took down three-hundred commanders to do so."

Sky and Paul both cocked their eyebrows at the marksman, who didn't look their way but started sweating.

"Awesome! I'm glad to hear it. I wish I had some good news to tell you but there's still a lot of crap that needs to be dealt with. The marines have already begun to fight the commanders and they really need your help… Oh, and did Zoro meet up with you by any chance?"

Nami's eye twitched, "don't tell me he's running around in here somewhere."

"Err…"

"That moron! He knows better!" the navigator shouted towards the den-den-mushi.

"He did seem a bit hesitant to go by himself, but when he heard that Luffy was going to be executed early he didn't seem to have many options."

Nami sighed, "the idiot…"

Orrin continued, "I know where general Yu is and I can assume that Alvida is with him there. I need to get to her before Dr. Akens gets there… who knows what they have in mind for her. I'll go get her and keep an eye out for Zoro on the way. You guys go ahead and get out."

Luffy frowned, turning his head towards Sky. "The one thing I want, more than getting the heck out of here, is to kick Dr. Akens' butt… Hey! Did you say you were going to rescue Alvida! Who the crap would want to do something like that?"

"It's a long story" Orrin replied "I owe her my life, and she's not really the one to blame for the operation… she's been a tool for the main conspirators in this whole mess."

Luffy sighed, Robin tightening the last of his bandages around his upper chest. He stood to his full height, placing his straw-hat on his head and facing the entire group.

"Ok, the first thing we need to do is get Canaan. He's been seriously injured and is currently being held in a cell a few hallways down from here. We also need to kick General Yu and Dr. Akens' butt and find Zoro. There's no way you can do all of that yourself Orrin, so we'll back you up; just tell us where to go."

"Thank you" Orrin replied from the den-den-mushi.

"Sounds good Luffy," Usopp replied, "but we don't have time to do all of that and get out in time to help the marines outside… that and you need to get out of here as soon as possible. It's obvious that you've been in this gas filled prison for too long and you seriously need some fresh air."

Luffy nodded, looking his marksman in the eye.

"That's why we're going to split up."

He was solemn, because the last thing he wanted to do was lose sight of his crewmates he had just been reunited with.

"Paul and I will go get Canaan" Sky said "he's our friend and it makes sense that we will be the ones to rescue him. You guys go find your swordsman and take out the guys in charge."

Robin turned to the short marine; "are you sure you guys will be alright by yourselves?"

"I just rescued your captain singlehandedly" Paul piped in as a reminder, "we should be able to handle it ourselves."

"True" Luffy responded "but I owe Canaan a great debt and I will not leave him to be rescued without my aid when it is readily here. I'll send one of my crewmates with you to assure his safety, despite that you can probably manage on your own."

"We understand" Paul replied "I'm sure we could use all the help we can get if we want to get him and head out to help the marines outside."

Luffy turned to his navigator, "Nami, I need you to go with them. I can give you the directions to the cell Canaan is being held in and then I want you to kick some commander tail outside once he's safe. Usopp, Robin, you guys are coming with me."

Nami nodded, walking over to the two marines and snapping her clima-tact together.

Luffy told her the way to Canaan's cell and the small group split up. Robin, Usopp, and Luffy heading up the stairs while Nami, Sky, and Paul ran deeper into the hallway they were on.

- Orrin -

After getting off the den-den-mushi, Orrin dashed out of the control room. He knew that the source of the intercom was from room 198 on one of the middle floors of the base. General Yu needed Alvida to claim her sole leadership over the seastone gas experimentation so that the dirt would be entirely on her hands, but how would he get her to do that? He was sure Dr. Akens had some role to play in that, so he had to hurry.

- Luffy, Robin, Usopp -

"ZORROOOOOOO!"

"Shhhhh, Luffy! You're gonna have every commander on this base swarming this floor" Usopp exclaimed in panic to his loud captain.

"Well how do you plan on finding him? …. ZOORRROOOOOO!"

"Listen to me! You need to be quie-"

"WHERE ARE YOU ZORRROOOO?"

"Luffy please! I'm sure we'll stumble on him sometime. We always do."

The captain looked at him skeptically, his eyebrows raised.

Robin snickered as she continued to support Luffy who was able to walk but in need of some assistance to keep the pace.

"Come now Mr. Usopp" she said lightheartedly "I believe our captain has a point. How else will Zoro know where we are?"

"We can call him on the intercom once we get into that room; and if you gave me the choice between life and finding Zoro… I'd choose life!"

Robin just laughed again, looking down at the small map in her hand.

"Oh you're a lot of help" Usopp growled "why don't we just yell "here we are! We're the pirates who broke into your-"

"ZOROOOOOOO!"

"Dang it Luffy!"

The voices of the small group echoed down the gloomy hallway; the lighthearted dialogue warming the cold setting.

- Mr. Able and three Guards -

Mr. Able, a hefty man in a suite, sat upon a large beast (with brown fur on its bottom half and white scales on its top) as he addressed his guards who waited his orders. The three all looked very different in appearance, but stood single-file and at attention.

The first guard, number 1, was a tall, lanky man with an equally long scarf, and a knit cap on his head, shading his narrow eyes. He carried a long sword low on his waste where it hung comfortably as he rested a casual hand on it.

The second guard, number 2, was the same man who had fought the Straw Hat crew the day before; fully restocked in blades that covered his body.

The final guard, number 3, was the largest of the bunch. He had an unnaturally thick neck and his mouth was oddly crooked with a few pointy teeth sticking up. There was no weapon on his person, but he stood with equal confidence with the other two.

"So it seems that the battle with the marines has begun…" Mr. Able began.

"I must say I'm impressed they've held off so well against the commanders, but let's not get their hopes up. Guard number 3, why don't you give the commanders a hand. Guards number 1 and 2, I need you to go into the base and get General Yu, Dr. Akens, and the seastone gas safely out of there and bring them to me. Remember though, the seastone comes first, above everything else, so don't sacrifice it for their sakes."

The men nodded in understanding then dashed off to fulfill their orders. Mr. Able guided his beast to a ledge overlooking the confrontation below and leaned back in the saddle, anxious to see guard number 3 begin his slaughter.

"Not long now…"

TBC…

Dun dun dun…. Please review! If feeds my desire to write. You guys surely know that your support has led to a random speed-up of updates on my part. I can't thank you enough and I can't tell you how happy your reviews make me ^_^

Kitty-bandit- (how's this for a weird updating time? XD) I am so thankful for your wonderfully encouraging reviews! We'll have to see how the SH crew gets their vengeance _ I love that you say I keep the characters in-character ^_^ that makes my day! I want to mold my story around the brilliant characters Oda has created, not mold Oda's brilliant characters around my story. I love your reviews! Even if you run out of things to say, its super sweet of you to put effort into writing a long review. And don't worry, Zoro will get his share of the action soon. Thanks again!

vivi-chi-ie- awww, thank you so much ^_^ I am soo happy you have enjoyed my story so far and I hope to keep you entertained for the rest of the adventure. Yay! My OCs fit! You have made me a very happy writer with your kind review! Thanks!

WezL- wait no more! Here is another update! :D thank you for the continuous support, it really has fueled my desire to write ^_^

Jaybird200- I can't wait myself. I thought I was gonna get to some butt-kicking in this chapter… but stuff seems to take longer to happen on paper than in my head. I wonder how long this story is going to end up being _

Allyluvsu13- yeah, it's kind of a breath of fresh air for me as well that Luffys up and running. Even though his suffering was a necessary part of the plot, it gets a little heavy on the soul T_T I have a love/hate relationship with being cruel to my fav characters

Ghost of the moonlight- yeesshh, I love me some cliffhangers ^_^ I hope this is soon enough! I don't want punishment O_O I would say I'm upset that you might be losing sleep over my story… but for some reason it does make me happy *is super evil* :D Oh my, if Oda were to acknowledge my humble fanfic I would just explode. He is my hero of storytelling T_T So sorry another chapter without Zoro action, but I promise, he gets a ton of action and adventure in the upcoming chapters (maybe not the next one… but we'll have to see how many chapters it takes to move the plot along). *spoilers kind of* The Pindum (I'm super impressed that you remembered the name) and the raw seastone play a big big role as the climax builds, so you're good to assume that its important. Thank you so much for the encouragement and I hope to keep you entertained as long as you're willing to read my story ^_^

EALM528- yay! I'm glad you're enjoying where the story's going ^_^ and believe me, even now I'm dying to get to the coming scenes (so I'm kind of sharing you're anxiety per-se) thanks for the encouragement

Kiku127- oh wow, I can't tell you how happy your review has made me ^_^ one of your fav stories? *so excited* -O.O- thank you so much for reviewing even though you don't like to. That's so kind of you!

Neko11- I'm glad that the near-execution was exciting ^_^ and I am SO happy that you are enjoying the humor. Telling me a particular part that you liked out of the chapter really is what makes me the happiest because it shows you care about the details ^_^ you have been so supportive and I shall work really hard to update more often. Thank you!

12TheFallenOne12- wait no more! Your review made me lol XD I just bubbled up with happiness after reading it ^_^ I hope my story continues to keep you entertained and I hope to get back to the action in the coming chapters. Thank you so much!

Thanks again to everyone who's kept up with the story so far! I know it's pretty long so I really appreciate it! ^_^


	37. Alvida

-Alvida, General Yu and Dr. Akens -

Alvida had regained control over her body again, but it hardly mattered with her arms chained over her head. She was still physically weak, and though she tried to give off a strong persona, she was broken inside.

General Yu had spent the past few minutes observing footage on different screens and setting up cameras. An awkward silence had stifled the room, occasionally broken by the clicking of buttons and an occasional clip of audio from the videos the general was skimming through. It wasn't long before Dr. Akens was at the door, pushing a large cart in front of him.

"Glad you got here so quickly" Yu greeted Dr. Akens, turning away from the control center before him.

"My pleasure, I want to get this over with just as much as you do."

Alvida kept quiet, not wanting to draw attention to herself as she dreaded what they planned to do with her. It didn't seem to matter as General Yu turned and walked up to her, crouching to make direct eye-contact.

"Here's where you come in Alvida" he said, smiling.

She glared at him but held her tongue.

"You see, we have a ton of evidence that points toward your involvement and leadership over this project, but what I really want is something to seal the deal. I need video confirmation of you claiming sole headship over this operation. Could you do that for me?"

Alvida's expression grew more vindictive, "Never."

General Yu let out a grunt of laughter and returned to his full height. "Well, that's what Dr. Akens is for. Either you comply to our wishes now, or I let him do whatever it takes to make you do as we say."

Alvida had figured that was the purpose for the doctor's arrival, but as her imaginations became reality she felt her stomach twist in fear.

"So are you going to do this video for us Miss President?" Dr. Akens asked, walking up to his victim.

"No" she growled back, trying to cover the fear in her voice with defiance.

"Well then" Dr. Akens sighed "I guess we'll have to do this the hard way."

- Orrin -

Orrin had left the security room the second his conversation with the others had ended (or at least when he realized he wasn't a part of the discussion any more). Where he thought Alvida was being held was a few floors up from where he was, and even father up from where Luffy and his crew were. He knew it was dangerous to get there first without any backup, but he couldn't wait.

After running for several minutes he finally made his way to the floor he knew he needed to be on. He paused on the stairwell to catch his breath before silently entering the hallway. He had snagged a gun from one of the guards that Zoro had taken down in the security room and held it out in front of him as he snuck along the wall towards the room where he knew his old friend was being held.

He got to the door and hesitated as he heard muffled voices on the inside. There were two male voices, one sounding very calm while the other was a bit more gruff and forceful. The other voice was distinguishably a woman's and it was riddled with sobs and wheezes. Suddenly his mind went from calm and calculating to blind urgency as he busted the door open and raised his gun at the first figure he could see.

The scene before him was Dr. Akens with a syringe in his hand kneeling in front of Alvida whose face was red and riddled with tears. General Yu was standing nearby. Every eye turned toward Orrin when he busted in and for a moment only the sound of the recordings on the computers could be heard.

"Let her go!" Orrin yelled, his rifle raised towards the two men.

General Yu frowned and turned towards the surprise visitor. Alvida raised her tear-stained eyes, making contact with Orrin's. The expression on her face was one that he hadn't seen in years; an expression of desperation.

"Orrin! How can you be here? Why…?"

"Well well," Yu interrupted "this sorry creature still has someone in the world who cares for her. That's sweet."

"Shut up and let her go" Orrin demanded, aiming it directly at the general.

Yu chuckled and walked closer to Orrin, "why don't you free her yourself?" he sneered, lifting a key from his coat pocket.

Orrin snarled at him, "no, you will unlock her and I'll hold the gun."

General Yu sighed, "very well."

Turning away from Orrin, Yu lifted the key, his right side hidden for a moment. At that short moment, he lowered his right hand down to the hilt of his sword and in one swift movement had swept it from its sheath and flipped it around and up into the barrel of Orrin's gun. The motion had been so quick and smooth that Orrin fired a second too late, sending the bullet ricocheting off of the ceiling. The general's sword flashed with unnatural precision and speed, slicing upward into the marine's shoulder then downward into the hand holding the rifle. Orrin shouted in pain, but was quick to retaliate, sending a kick into his assailant's stomach. General Yu grunted and flew backward, catching himself against the wall. Not waiting for his opponent to recover, Orrin jumped at him but was hindered by a painful jab in his injured shoulder.

Screaming in pain he realized he was being held from behind and turned his head to see that it was Dr. Akens. He felt the doctor dig his fingers into his shoulder wound and arched his back in pain as he let out another shout of agony.

General Yu straightened himself and placed a hand on his injured stomach, glaring at the wounded marine before him. Walking over to where the two other men were standing, he sent a powerful blow into Orrin's gut with the hilt of his sword.

Orrin buckled over, gasping to regain the breath that had been knocked out of him but to no avail as the general sent another blow to the same location. He felt his knees give out but was held up by the doctor.

"Crap" he growled, trying to free himself of his captor only to receive a knee in his stomach. Coughing up blood, Orrin stopped struggling.

"STOP" Alvida screamed in desperation, pulling at her restraints. "Please stop!"

Yu paused and turned to her, sneering. "Why should I?" With that, he lifted Orrin's head with the hilt of his sword, pushing it back till the young man was struggling to breath. At first his breaths were labored, then he began gasping for air as Yu's sword blocked his windpipe, twisting violently to free himself from Akens' hold.

"No! No stop!" Alvida screamed again "Please, I'll do anything! I'll confess I'll confess! Just stop hurting him…"

The general lowered his sword, allowing the boy in front of him to drop his head, taking deep painful gasps of oxygen into his lungs.

"Oh my" Dr. Akens said with a bit of surprise in his voice "I wouldn't have thought she would comply for the sake of someone else. I mean, didn't she betray her entire crew to get in on this project?"

"It definitely isn't in her character" General Yu said, walking over to Alvida and unhooking the chains from the seastone handcuffs "but it works out quite nicely for us."

"Alvida" Orrin gasped, his voice shaking with pain "you can't do this. Impel Down will do *wheeze* far worse things to you than anything these guys could do so me."

The dark-haired woman smiled at him, tears returning to her eyes. "This isn't about prison anymore Orrin; it isn't about my safety or my well-being… it's about me doing something for someone other than me. I dug my own grave, and I dug it with no consideration for anyone but myself… not even you… and now I just want one chance to make things right… if only by one small sacrifice."

"Beautifully spoken" Yu chimed in, pulling the woman to her feet "now let's get this done." The general then half-led, half-dragged her towards a large room connected by a metal door to the smaller room they were in.

Orrin stared, wide-eyed as the two headed out the door. "Alvida…" he spoke, his voice coated in confusion and surprise.

The metal door was closed behind Yu and Alvida, leaving Orrin and Dr. Akens alone in the room.

"So" the doctor spoke as he pulled the marine to the chains that Alvida had been strapped to earlier "what's the story between you two? I've never seen Alvida do a selfless deed." His voice showed no hint of approval or sincerity, only a cold curiosity.

Orrin considered trying to take the doctor down but he saw how the man held one hand threateningly close to his bleeding shoulder, surely to jab it into his wound if he decided to fight back. Aside from that, he doubted he stood much of a fighting chance in his current condition. Sighing, he decided to explain his story as his arms were fastened above him, his injury shifting painfully.

"Alvida and I were best friends growing up. We both were orphans and spent the first six years of our lives in the same orphanage until we got adopted at around the same time, fortunately ending up in the same town. Alvida's parents were cold and distant, but they cared for her well enough while mine were compassionate and loving. For a whole year we hung out and played together. She was sweet and gentle, and I would always play the strong protector… Then our village was attacked by bandits. I had been at Alvida's house when it happened… it was that day that Alvida's parents revealed themselves to be bandits who had snuck in a year early to gain the trust of the villagers… that way they could run around killing and plundering without being detected by anyone. Adopting a child was the perfect cover. She discovered their treachery when she watched them kill their neighbor.

Once I figured out the town was being attacked, I was desperate to get back to my parents. Despite Alvida being completely devastated over the betrayal of her parents, she insisted she come with me because it wasn't safe to go alone. We snuck out of the house and headed for my home, the sounds of screams filling the streets and the glow of fire rising from several buildings.

When we arrived at my house my parents had already escaped, leaving it empty. We were about to head out when the bandits came storming in. We both hid in the living room, each of us on different sides of the room. The bandits came in, drunk and violent. They began tearing things apart and grabbing valuables to shove into their pockets and bags. Soon they had made it over to my side of the room and were about to discover me when Alvida jumped from her hiding place and screamed, running from the room. They chased her, leaving me safe and undetected in my hiding place. She knew where I was hiding and gave herself away to keep me safe…" Orrin sighed, bowing his head, "I ran out to chase after them… to protect her… but when I found her she was beaten half to death, lying in a puddle in a back alley somewhere.

Our village survived the raid… somewhat… and my parents had made it out before they were detected. We let Alvida live with us… but she was different. She still acted the same and spoke the same way… but she didn't trust anyone… and she herself was not to be trusted. Growing power-hungry she would always be building her strength and picking fights… and she began eating a lot more. Soon she was ridiculously obese… but strong. I believe that night of the raid she experienced the horror of helplessness and loss, and in order to never feel that again she desired strength, control… and coldness towards the feelings of anyone but herself.

She went off to be a pirate, inflicting upon others the very pain she had felt as a child. At first I just let her go, but when I heard she had teamed up with the Buggy pirates I wondered if she had changed enough to let someone in. I followed her out to sea and she was very happy to have me in her crew… but she hadn't changed. There wasn't much left for me back home so I decided to stay by her side, hoping to show her that there was still someone she could trust… that's where you guys come in. She betrayed the crew, turning them all over to you for imprisonment and experimentation… but she let me go. I found out about this trap you guys laid for her and decided that this would be my way of repaying my debt, whether she changed or not."

The room was silent as Orrin's story came to an end. He closed his eyes and bowed his head in exhaustion. He hadn't had hardly any sleep over the past few days and the blood-loss was making his vision blur.

"Fascinating story" Dr. Akens exclaimed, leaning back in the rolley-chair he had been sitting on. "It's too bad for you two that things had to turn out this way. Alvida's a fool to think that we will let you live. I mean, aren't you the one who ratted us all out in the first place?"

Suddenly, loud footsteps were heard running down the hallway and Orrin grinned. Dr. Akens stood to his feet, raising a gun towards the door as the security code was deactivated. His eyes widened in horror as the door was slammed open and the first person that walked through was Luffy, followed by Usopp and Robin.

"Crap" the doctor squeaked as his eyes met with the captains enraged glare.

"You…" Luffy's voice was deep and menacing as he pulled his arms back behind him.

"Gomu Gomu noooooo-"

TBC…

Woohoo! Another chapter done! WILL WRITE FOR REVIEWS! Thank you all sooo much for the support so far! I must say I'm excited about the upcoming chapters and hopefully will get them done … at some point… must keep myself reminded that I do have a life to live -_-'

So not a lot of the main characters in this chapter; I hope that's ok. Don't worry! The next chapter will bring them back to the center of attention.

WezL- Ohhh, I'm so glad that my story has a One Piece feel XD or at least that you think it does ^_^ thank you so much for then encouragement and I'm glad you like it.

Tare-chan- thank you for the review! I know that last chapter was kind of a transition chapter so your review is very much appreciated. yes yes, hopefully Zoro will end up at the right place at the right time _ we'll have to wait and see XD thanks again, hope u enjoy the rest of the fic.

12TheFallenOne12- I update fast because you review so nice XD thank you so much for the support!

Kitty-bandit- awww thanks -^_^- don't worry about Zoro… he won't be left out _ I haz plannz for himmm. …. Ehem…. *spoiler* (and don't worry about Sanji either ;) Iz gotz planz for him too) thank you soooo much for the wonderful and kind reviews you have given me! I hope to update soon and keep you entertained! ^_^

Ghost of the moonlight- ooohh, you're review has made me soooo happy! You're much like me… we both like it when our fav characters get physically harmed XD so cruel… I'm glad you liked the Luffy and Nami part ^_^ I wouldn't want pairings in the series, but sometimes (not in this fic) I like to make some of my own pairings… cause I like me some romance. I hope you haven't died before this chapter came out… cause I didn't know if you would or not… maybe you weren't serious… but it couldn't tell… DON'T DIE! Thanks sooo much for the encouragement!

Allyluvsu13- lol, I'm really glad you liked that ^_^ hope you enjoy the rest of the fic. Thanks for the review!

viv-chu-ie- I'm glad you're liking the pace of the story (it goes a lot quicker in my head so it seems slow when I write it XD) I know this chapter didn't move quite as quickly -_- I'm so so happy you can picture what's going on, because I see it in my head and can only hope that the readers are following it as I write it. You're review has successfully made me really really happy thank you so much.

Luithia Clen- you're review was sooo encouraging! I want so much for my fic to be like the manga and telling me it resembles it just makes me bubble up inside ^_^ thank you.


	38. The Guards Arrive

- once again, I have illustrations for this fic at zinfer. deviantart .com -

"GATTLING!"

Before Dr. Akins had time to prepare for the pirate's attack he was overwhelmed by the onslaught of powerful fists driving him into the wall. Luffy continued to yell in rage as his fists carried on with their pounding, blood accumulating on his knuckles as he blasted into the man who had tormented him over the past two days.

The others watched wide-eyed as the enraged captain continued to mercilessly pound the other man until he finally ran out of energy, his fists slowing as his breaths became more labored and rapid. Falling to his hands, he panted, anger still rippling off of him almost like a physical force the others could feel.

Dr. Akins slowly slid to the floor, a bloody crumbled mass of broken bones and bruises. Slowly making his way over to the man, Usopp checked to see if he was still breathing.

"Good crap Luffy, you killed him" Usopp exclaimed, astonished at the extent of his captain's physical abilities even after being experimented on for days.

Orrin stared in shock over what he had just witnessed as Robin grabbed the keys and released him from his handcuffs.

"Remind me not to get on your captain's bad side" he stated, pressing his hand against his injured shoulder.

"This guy must have done something awful to him for Luffy to do this much damage" Usopp responded as he turned back toward the others, "and considering how ticked my captain is right now, I believe I would want to give him a pounding myself. What the heck did this guy do Luffy?"

The dark-haired boy didn't respond, still panting with anger and exhaustion.

"It's ok captain" Robin said, kneeling down beside him with an arm on his shoulder. "He's gone, he can't hurt you anymore."

As she spoke she reached down and picked up the mask she had given him earlier, realizing he needed it more than she did, and held it out to him. He had dropped it during his attack and she knew he was struggling without it.

Luffy was surprised to find that he wasn't happy about what he had done to Akins, but he felt the rage that he had been holding inside of him lift off of his chest. What was nagging him now was the pain in his lungs every time he inhaled. It was different than before, where it weakened him and made it difficult for him to breathe, but this time he didn't feel so much as weak, but he felt hot pain coursing through his body. He graciously took the mask that his historian had handed to him.

- Meanwhile with Nami, Paul, and Sky -

After having experienced dozens of rescues and escapes in her pirating career, Nami was quite accustomed to sprinting for long periods of time. Though she didn't know who Canaan was, she knew he had cared for her captain and that his life was her responsibility to preserve. She led the way, followed by Sky and Paul who were both pleasantly surprised at her impressive stamina.

They had made it all the way to the final hallway before meeting up with opposition. A few commanders, who apparently had been given the responsibility of guarding Canaan's cell, charged at them once they were spotted. The three didn't slow as they continued for the cell a few yards away. The men lifted their rifles to fire but Sky and Paul were swift to hinder them. One of the commanders was shot in the hand by one of Paul's bullets, while the other had his rifle yanked from him by a snap of Sky's whip, which the boy had lashed out quicker than he had been able to comprehend.

Grabbing the rifle, Sky skidded in-between the two commanders, swinging the butt of the gun into its owner's head while Paul shoved a palm into his opponent's face, leaping over him acrobatically, both of them landing gracefully on the other side, their large cloaks flowing continuous with their movements.

All the while, Nami had been forming an ominous cloud over the two unfortunate commanders who could only look up in surprise before a bright bolt of lightning cracked down upon them. Paul and Sky had made their way to the cell, the glow of the attack hitting their backs as they skidded to a halt, their coats hovering in the air as they changed their course.

Sky did the math for the security code and typed it in. Opening the door, the two boys peered in to see the wrecked room sodden with water. At first they didn't see their friend, but both eyes fell upon a puddle of blood near the center of the room. It trailed off as if someone had dragged themselves forward, leading up to behind the door where they finally found Canaan. He was lying unconscious, one arm tucked protectively around his side while the other was out, like he had been had been reaching for the door. Immediately the two boys fell to his side, Sky quickly moving his arms and cutting away his shirt to assess the damage.

Nami came running in, taken back by the appearance of the room. _What had happened in there over the last two days?_

Canaan gasped as he was awakened by Sky putting pressure on the bullet wound in his side. At first he looked confused, his glazed eyes trying to figure out who was inflicting pain on him, then recognition crossed his face and he let his head fall back into Paul's lap.

"Nice to see you guys" he said weakly, a hint of a grin on his lips.

"Likewise" Paul replied, his voice breaking a bit.

The elite creased his eyebrows as he regained focus, "you guys need to hurry and get Luffy, they took him to be executed … crap, how long has it been? I'll be fine, just go… he could be…" he let out another gasp.

"It's all right, it's all right" Paul said, placing his hand on Canaan's forehead, "we got him, he's safe." He glanced up at Sky to see an expression of horror and rage as the young marine looked over the multiple burn marks on his friend's body in addition to the bullet wounds he had received.

"Who the heck did this to you?" he growled in anger, trying to restrain his tone of voice to keep calm.

Closing his eyes, Canaan didn't respond, but continued to pant heavily as he struggled to breathe normally in his weakened condition.

Nami knelt down in front of him, resting a gentle hand on his heaving chest. He opened his weary eyes again, gazing up at her kind face.

"You must be Nami" he said smiling. "Your captain told me about you" he continued, seeing the confused surprise on her face.

She felt tears well up, letting them slip out as she closed her eyes.

"Thank you" she said "for caring for Luffy."

He grinned again, his breath hitching as Sky tightened the wrapping around his side.

"We've got to get him out of here and give him some real medical attention" the grey-haired marine said, looking up from his work to the other two. "And the men outside will be needing our help, so we can't make them wait any longer."

Nami and Paul nodded.

"You ready Canaan?" Paul asked as he brought his arms under the elite's triceps.

"Whenever you are" he mumbled back; his voice a combination of lightheartedness and pain.

With a heave, the younger marine dragged his friend to his feet and wrapped his arm over his own shoulder.

Canaan couldn't repress a yell as he was forced into a drastic change in position and Paul mumbled an apology.

Not wasting any more time, the four rushed back into the hallway and made their way as quickly as possible towards the entrance of the prison, lead by Nami who had no trouble finding her way through the confusing passages.

-Zoro-

The sound of his captain's voice had been music to the swordsman's ears as he charged down another hallway. It was Luffy telling him that he was ok, and the panic that had been twisting in his stomach released its hold on him.

However, the enraged panic he had been filled with shifted to an annoyed frustration as he continued to wonder through the maze of hallways, stairs, and dead ends. He heard his captain's voice echoing through the ventilation and would head in the general direction he thought it was coming from, but there was always a troublesome wall in the way. Despite his constant failures to find his way to anywhere productive, he felt that he was nearing the right floor and the sounds of his crewmates drew closer.

-Luffy, Crew, and General Yu (lol, it rhymed) -

"General Yu and Alvida are in there" Orrin pointed to the metal door on the other side of the room.

Nodding, Usopp walked over and did the math to deactivate the security box on the wall. The moment the doors opened up they saw Yu holding Alvida in front of him, his sword aimed at her belly.

"Any of you try to make a move and I'll kill her" he said threateningly.

"Alvida!" Orrin shouted in fear for his friend.

Luffy, on the other hand, stood to his feet and walked forward.

"Hey" the general growled "didn't you hear me? I'll kill her." As he spoke he slid the blade a few more inches into his captive's stomach, drawing blood. She didn't make a sound though, staring intently at the captain walking towards them.

"And that's supposed to stop me how?" Luffy said coldly, bringing a fist back to attack.

He shot his arm forward, aimed at the face of the man whom he had grown to despise, but for a moment he sensed an imposing threat and he caught his arm before it made contact with its target. At that moment, a long blade sliced through the empty air where his fist would have been had it continued on course. The man had come out of nowhere, placing himself between Yu and the pirates.

Snapping his arm back, Luffy tensed at the surprise visitor, feeling that this opponent was different from the ones he had dealt with so far.

The tall, lanky guard stood from his crouched position and withdrew his blade from the empty space it had sliced. Everything about him was long; his sword, his jacket, his scarf, and out of his knit cap was a long feather.

"I've come to escort you safely from the premises" he said coolly to General Yu, his narrow eyes shaded by his hat.

"Who the heck are you?" Usopp exclaimed.

"I'm guard number 1, and I'm sure you know guard number 2" he replied, raising his hand to the door as a blade shot into the room, directed at Robin. Luffy went into defense mode and, with abnormal speed, snagged it from the air; a bit of surprise crossing his face as the blade fought his grip to reach its intended target.

"Oh crap!" Usopp shouted "it's that knife guy!"

"So nice to see you again" the man said as he wandered into the room calmly.

TBC…

ANDD another chapter! Woohoo! WILL WRITE FOR REVIEWS ^_^

Thank you guys so much for the support so far! I know this was a bit shorter of a chapter but I want my scenes to be grouped in a particular set and to try to add the next few scenes would be a hassle to this chapter soooo, they will be coming in the next chapter.

RusalkaHime- thanks! I'll try to keep it up

Ghost of the moonlight- lol, I think we'd get along quite well XD I'm so glad you're up and about ^_^ I hope the update didn't come too late O_O I wonder what her real background is… I bet she's just a stuck up jerk by nature, I just made up her past to work with my story so… XD thanks again for the review!

WezL- I hope this chapter was a nice start to some vengeance XD thank you so much for the review and I do believe there's gonna b quite a bit of fighting happening in the upcoming chapters

vivi-chu-ie- I'm glad you enjoyed the bit about Alvida's past. Thank you for bothering to read it XD (I know sometimes I would skim over those details… which is so sad when an author went through the trouble of writing them) I hope that the rest of the story keeps you entertained and you're welcome ^_^

12TheFallenOne12- heck yes you are! I was really looking forward to reaching the 200 review mark so you're feedback made me super excited and happy! *parties in my head* thank you so much!

Ri-Chan 89- I'm glad your computer is safe and sound I'm glad the story is making you happy ^_^ cause that makes me happy. To be honest, I can't help but think about the Adkins diet myself… I dunno if that was what motivated me to name him that or not (it's been a while… but I was once on that diet and it was pretty much torture *irony*) and you're welcome! Thanks for checking the pictures out, hopefully I'm make some more as the story progresses to some more exciting scenes.

Kitty-bandit- there you are! I was like "*whistle whistle* I wonder what had become of my friendly neighborhood Kitty-bandit", and here you are! :D Wow, you seriously are busy (I should b busy but I choose to live in a world where u don't bother with responsibilities till they smack you in the face). To be honest, I didn't start with the intention of Alvida being saved… the original plotline was a bit more simple and straightforward, but someone who used to read the story (way back when… who was really supportive… then was lost to my procrastination) suggested she not be the villain and I went with it XD I hope the rest of the story continues to surprise you ^_^ ooooh, your encouragement has made my day! Thank you so much for all of the support!

Once again! Thank you to all who have read my story! I hope you enjoy the next few chapters!


	39. Opponents Divvied

Do remember I have illustrations for this story in my art gallery at zinfer. Deviantart. com

- Luffy, Crew, Alvida, Orrin, Guards 1 and 2 and General Yu- (whew)

"It seems they've killed Dr. Akens" guard number 2 continued, walking over and checking the doctor's pulse.

"It can't be helped now" the first guard sighed, walking over to the general, "come with me General Yu, you can leave the rest of these people to guard 2."

Yu nodded and swung the hilt of his sword into Alvida's temple, knocking her unconscious and dropping her to the floor.

"Who are these guys?" Luffy asked with annoyance.

"I don't know who the swordsman is" Robin replied, her eyes fixed on the two intruders "but the second guard is the one responsible for Sanji's absence. We fought with him on our way to get you back and he did quite a bit of damage."

"He hurt Sanji?" Luffy's expression grew murderous as he glared at guard 2.

"Yes, but you're in no condition to be fighting him captain; I'll deal with him."

"What!" Usopp exclaimed "we could hardly take him as a group Robin, how do you intend to fight him by yourself?"

"I told you I had something planned, but for now I need you to get Luffy out of here."

"Whoa whoa Robin" Luffy broke in "you can't expect me to leave you here to fight this guy alone."

"Luffy, the way this guy fights… I can't let you get caught up in this."

"But Robin, I- HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING TRYING TO SNEAK AWAY!"

His attention had been directed towards guard number 1 and General Yu making their way out the door, seemingly under the cover of the current argument. The two looked back with a nonchalant confusion as to why they had been accused of such an act considering they had simply walked out in front of everyone. They then continued out as if he hadn't spoken.

"Ok ok" Luffy said, sorting things out "Robin, you take the sword guy, Usopp and I will take feather guy."

"Whoa what!" Usopp exclaimed, boggling at his captain. "you want us to take out feather gu- what the heck kind of nickname is that! Of all his attributes-"

"Let's get em!" Luffy declared, stomping forward, only to be grabbed by his desperate crewmate.

"N-n-n-no! Look, if guard 2 could take our whole crew, there's no way we can take guard 1."

"And why's that?" Luffy asked in annoyance.

"Because it's just understood that number 1 is automatically more dominant that number 2. Kind of like force ranking… or the phrase "I'm number one.""

"I resent that" the second guard broke in.

"Well" Usopp replied, a twitch of deception crossing his face, "the way he bosses you around, I'd say he thinks he's the in the leadership position out of you two. Isn't it a little unfair that you get stuck with the fighting and he gets to escort the general out?"

Guard 2 looked at him with disbelieving cynicism, "are you seriously trying to turn me against guard 1? I'm not an idiot; and he's not even here anymore anyway."

"Dang it" Usopp growled in frustration, then looking back at his captain, let out a squeak of horror as he saw him stomping out of the room to follow the two who had left.

"W-wait Luffy!" he exclaimed again, rushing in his direction. His focus was redirected however as he saw guard 2 shoot a needle in his captain's direction. Luffy turned as he sensed the threat, realizing too late that the projectile was headed toward him. He raised his arms to block it, but was surprised when no impact came. Looking up he saw his marksman in front of him, his own forearm up with the needle impaled deep into his flesh.

"Usopp?" Luffy said in surprise.

The sharpshooter glared up at the opponent, poised defensively in front of his captain.

"Luffy, we have to get out of here. We can't let that guy get a sample of your blood or he'll be able to mark you as a permanent target, and I won't let you get hurt again."

"He's right Luffy" Robin added, also stepping between the guard and her nakama, "I can take him, but you guys need to leave."

Luffy frowned, but acknowledged the seriousness in his historian's tone.

"Ok Robin, you kick his butt… and here" he said, taking the mask off of his own face and handing it to her "take this."

"Luffy, you need it more than I do" she argued, but he rushed over, shoving it into her hands. "I'm not asking Robin; I may be too weak to take care of you guys myself, but that doesn't mean there aren't things I can still give. Now take it, and give it back when you're done wiping the floor with this guy."

The dark haired woman frowned, but took it from him nodding.

"This is all very touching" guard 2 interrupted the moment "but you guys are mistaken if you think I will let any of you escape."

With that said, he raised his hands, a dozen blades lifting off of his body and into the air.

"Run!" Robin said to everyone else in the room as the knives shot off towards their intended targets.

Luffy didn't hesitate to dash for the door, grabbing his marksman, as well as Orrin and Alvida, on his way out. Five blades flew towards Usopp as he shouted in panicky fear. They slid out of the door, Luffy ramming into the other side of the hallway so not to slow momentum on the way out. Robin slammed the door shut behind them with an extra arm, but not soon enough to stop the five weapons from slipping through the opening as well.

Seeing that his crewmate was in danger, Luffy threw his marksman as far as he could down the hallway, Usopp screaming in surprise and lack of control. The captain then grabbed at the flying blades, catching two by the hilt and attempting to pull them back from their target. The magnetic pull was powerful and he found himself being dragged in his sharpshooter's direction.

"Usopp! Run!" he shouted, feeling his grip on the weapon's slip.

He didn't have to tell his crewmate twice as Usopp jumped up and sprinted away.

Suddenly, there was a noise in the opposite direction and Luffy craned his neck to see what was coming. He frowned in annoyance upon the appearance of six commanders charging towards them. He figured General Yu had called for them while he was in the other room when he heard them come in.

Torn between helping Usopp deal with the knives and keeping the commanders from Robin's fight, the captain let out a yell of frustration, releasing the blades and turning toward his new opponents.

Orrin was struggling to his feet, grabbing the unconscious Alvida.

"Hey you" Luffy said down to him "go help Usopp. I'll hold these guys off."

Orrin nodded, taking Alvida's arm over his own injured shoulder and rushing as quickly as he could down the hallway.

As the two left, Luffy slowly turned toward the attacking men, placing his hat on his head and cracking his knuckles.

- Nami, Canaan, Sky, and Paul -

Nami, once again, directed the group of marines through the maze of a prison, getting them to the entrance in record time (considering that they were carrying an injured man along). As they opened the large metal doors, they were met with the loud sounds of battle and smoke as they took in the spectacle before them. How the fight was going was unclear, the dust making sides indistinguishable. What could be observed however was the huge extent of the combat. Hundreds upon hundreds of men were scattered across the rocky hillside, their figures cloaked in grey, suffocating dust that they had kicked up in the skirmish.

Suddenly, Jin ran up to the small group. He had a small gash on his head, but aside from that seemed uninjured.

"Thank God you guys are back" he panted "these guys are a pain."

"Where can we help?" Sky asked, handing Canaan off to another marine who would take him to a medic.

Jin caught his breath and straightened his posture, lifting his arm up to point across to the far left side of the battle field next to the forest.

"Jason came running in to warn us about some other dangerous threats coming our way, but they got here about the same time he did. Over near the forest there's a man just slaughtering anyone who comes in his path. I don't know who he is, but I know we're taking heavy casualties wherever he goes."

Sky nodded, seeing that the marine wasn't finished.

"Also" he continued, pointing to almost the opposite side of the battlefield near the cliffs by the ocean, "we're also taking a lot of casualties in that area."

Despite the smoke, it was clear that the fighting was a bit more chaotic in the direction he was pointing.

"There seem to be two unusually powerful commanders over there. I saw them fight; apparently they use unmatched teamwork and synchronized attack to take down their opponents… so far they've been untouchable."

"Which of those two is doing the most widespread damage?" Sky asked, seeing that Jin was done.

"I'd say the man closer to the forest" he answered confidently.

"Alright" Sky said, looking to Paul and Nami "you two take down that guy, and I'll deal with the two commanders."

Paul looked worried at the thought of Sky taking on the two commanders without his help, but complied. There was no time to waist as more and more men were losing their lives.

Sky and Paul gave each other a quick but firm hug before dashing off into the chaotic battle, both praying that they would see each other again before the day was done.

- Zoro -

He had been so close. He knew he had been, but Luffy had stopped yelling and he no longer had anything to base his direction upon. Zoro growled as he rushed down the empty hallway, working to control his temper.

Taking another set of stairs up to the floor above, he dashed to a crossing between hallways, skidding to a stop as two men crossed his path. For a second he was hopeful, thinking that perhaps it was his crewmates he had been searching for so desperately, but as the second man ran past, time seemed to slow down as recognition set in. The man was so distinguishable with his finely-cut hair, sporty jacket, and trademark scowl; his features fully readable as he rushed by.

Zoro's eyes narrowed with murderous intent.

"General Yu…"

TBC…

YAY! Another chapter! This one was rough because I had to set up all of the battle scenes in intelligent sequences and order… I don't do order too well XD Woohooo!

Sorry it was a bit short -_-

I can't wait to write the next few chapters! It's like I've been working up to these climaxes for so long and I'll finally get them done… but dang it, my life is so crazy right now -_-' whew. Probably won't be able to update too soon...

Jaybird200- glad you enjoyed it ^_^ there was a bit more action in this chapter, but there'll be a lot more in the upcoming chapters

Tare-chan- yes yes, poor Alvida kinda got the short end of the stick in life XD im sure the tense of fight is a bit more tense now than before (now that the battles are finally upon us) Thank you so much for the reviews!

TARIGARMA12- thank you so much for the encouraging review! I'm sorry, but I don't write yaoi -_-. However, *spoilers* there will be some really good scenes with Zoro and Luffy in the upcoming chapters as we draw closer to the climax.

Ghost of the moonlight- yeah, I know it's a bit different than the manga that he would kill someone, but I really wanted Akins dead… guess I didn't like him either XD. Lol! I love your description of how he should have died. *spoiler!* I intend for the crew to find out what was done to Luffy. And yes… there is still much angst to come XD Thank you soooo much for your encouragement through the story! It's really kept me going and I cherish every review

Medusa's hairdresser- lol, I'm so glad the story has made you happy ^_^ I hope you enjoy the upcoming chapters. *WARNING spoilers!* and yes Sanji will be back, and Zoros got a lot more in store for him… there will be blood. Thank you so much!

Kitty-bandit- you are so good to me T_T you're such a busy person but you still take the time to write such encouraging reviews to brighten my day and keep me writing. I know he doesn't kill… and it was a bit unlike the series, but I hated that he was forced to take all of Akins' crap and he couldn't hand it back. I wanted him to get revenge. And I really wanted Akins dead, cause I didn't like him XD It really makes my day when you tell me what you liked about the chapters ^_^ I just bubble up and want to write more to make you happy. Glad I can finally understand your name XD I never understand anyone's names. LONG LIVE ONE PIECE INDEED! Thanks again! Enjoy the rest of the story

12TheFallenOne12- wooo, congratulations ^_^ thank you so much for the review!

-ie- apparently I'm addicted to cliffhangers… I just like ending chapters with the anticipation for the next one XD The end is indeed in sight, but it's a little dot on the horizon XD awwwwww, thank you! I'm sooo happy you like my OCs thank you so much for all of the support so far. I have cherished every one of your reviews and they always put a smile on my face.

(?)- glad you like it ^_^ thanks!

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO'S READ AND REVIEWED! It makes it all worth my time ^_^


	40. The Battles Begin

- Zoro, Guard 1 and General Yu-

The second Zoro recognized the general before him he lashed out, swinging his kantana for Yu's unprotected side. It was so swift that the blade struck its victim before the general acknowledged the swordsman's presence, but it was inflicted so quickly that it lacked the precision of a fatal blow. Blood spurted out from the man's shoulder and he shouted in surprise and shock. Zoro jumped forward again and went to deliver another slice, a part of him wondering if he wanted to kill this man quickly or slowly. Though Yu was still reeling from the first attack, the guard in front of him had spotted the second strike a moment before it reached its target. At a speed that impressed even Zoro, guard 1 unsheathed his long blade and deflected the powerful blow. General Yu stumbled back, quickly unsheathing his own sporty sword and facing the unexpected assailant.

Zoro growled in annoyance, acknowledging that the guard was serious threat.

"Well this is unexpected" General Yu said, regaining his composure. "one of Strawhat's crewmates wandering the hallways alone… what could you possibly be doing?"

"I'll kill you for what you did to my captain" Zoro responded coldly, ignoring the question.

"Don't overestimate yourself pirate" Yu sneered back "it's two against one, and guard 1 here is of the same caliber as the man you fought on the shore yesterday."

Zoro glanced cautiously over at the tall guard, but pulled out his other two swords.

"Doesn't matter" he said "I can't let you get away with what you did. I'll just have to take you both out; which shouldn't be too hard since you clearly just wear your sword for show."

"General Yu" Guard 1 spoke up for the first time "it would be best if you continued out while I deal with the swordsman. It will be easier without having to watch for your safety. Take the seastone gas and go."

Yu looked insulted, lowering his sword in annoyance.

"Having to watch for my safety? What do you take me for-"

"General" Guard 1 interrupted sternly, turning a shaded eye in his direction "I believe it is you who has underestimated this man, and I have orders to get you out safely. Don't make this difficult for me."

General Yu blushed with embarrassed anger, shoving his blade back into its sheath.

"Fine" he spit, turning and dashing down the corridor; gripping his injured arm to himself.

"Oh no you don't" Zoro yelled, skidding his blade into the concrete floor and bringing it up to send a glowing slash toward the escaping target. He was thwarted once again by the slender guard who deflected it, sending it up into one of the air ducts where it cut a large gash into the metal.

"Dang it" Zoro growled, directing his attention back toward his opponent.

Immediately he began to assess who he was about to fight; noting that the man was weaker than himself, but was able to make up for this with technique which centered around deflecting rather than taking full-on attacks. He had one very long blade that he seemed to be very comfortable with, like it was an extension of his body, and from what Zoro could tell, he didn't seem to have any other weapons on him.

Not wanting to let any more distance get between him and the fleeing general, Zoro swiftly attacked the lanky guard before him, conserving his strength with the strike since he knew it would probably be deflected anyway.

The man didn't fall back from the attack this time, but instead let the force of deflection flow with his sword, bringing it completely around right back at the Zoro's chest. The first mate, though not expecting the returned attack, was quick to block it, sliding back a few feet on the balls of his feet.

Not hesitating, Guard 1 sped forward, his scarf flowing smoothly with his movements. He brought the long sword back and Zoro, knowing that he was coming in to strike, brought one of his kantanas up to block it and pulled another back behind him to stab back afterward. To his surprise however, the guard brought his arm around like he was attacking, but the sword that had been there the moment before was missing. Zoro was taken aback by the open space he had drawn his sword to block, continuing with his counterattack by jabbing his other sword forward. The lanky man twisted his body to avoid being stabbed, then continued to twist, his other hand coming back with the blade that had vanished seconds earlier. The green-haired pirate was forced to jump back, retreating from the long blade as it slid across his shirt, tearing it slightly.

The guard didn't pause, his movements flowing smoothly as he continued forward. Zoro scowled, frustrated that he was being pushed back as he struggled to block the gliding blade. He tried to make sense of the juggling sword pattern than man was using but it was pretty sporadic, releasing the hilt in the air and grabbing it with another hand; sometimes kicking with his legs and attacking a few more times before returning to his weapon. Zoro's quick reflexes were his only real defense against the odd technique as he struggled to comprehend his opponent's movements.

Then he found it, a small opening for him to go on the offensive. Guard 1 had caught his sword and swung it at a downward angle towards his head, but he had dodged to the side at the last second, gaining him the advantage. With trained accuracy he cut sideways, knowing that trying to stab at the thin man left plenty of room to miss. The guard's eyes widened in surprise but he was too late to stop the blow, the metal slamming hard into his side causing a nasty cracking sound come from his ribs, then slicing as the blade slid across flesh.

The guard lost his grip on his blade and began to fall backward, letting out a grunt of pain. Zoro pulled his blade back and angled it down to land the final blow, not wanting to underestimate his opponent's stamina. The man had all but fallen to the ground when, to Zoro's surprise, he brought his foot up, catching it on his falling sword's hilt and driving it into Zoro's already injured side. He had no way to prepare for the surprise attack, as he had never been attacked with a sword wielded by the opponent's foot, and let out a shout of pain as it drug deep into his bandaged side.

Gasping back another yell, he struggled to keep his eyes focused, his arms moving only due to the endless training when they struck out again, this time the blade slicing down toward his opponent's head. He hoped to finish the guard off before the black spots in his vision overcame him. Unfortunately, guard 1 had already reached the floor and had caught himself by lifting his elbows and using his palms as a brace against his fall and to twist to maneuver away from the sword's path.

Zoro stumbled forward, careful that his opponent didn't strike out at him since the man seemed to still have a lot of energy left despite his injury. To his relief, guard 1 seemed to accept the respite as well, scooting away and struggling back to his feet. The two men turned to face each other again, both panting heavily from pain more that physical exertion, the long sword still skewering Zoro's side and blood flowed freely from the guards wound, forming an invisible stain on his long suit coat.

Grabbing the hilt of the blade in his side, Zoro gritted his teeth and pulled it out as smoothly as possible so not to cause any more damage. He knew that it might be risky to remove it but it would be impossible to fight with the weapon sticking out of him. The whole time, he kept a wary eye on the guard who was seemingly weaponless at the moment but still gave off threatening vibes, like he could still kill.

Now with four swords in his possession, Zoro sheathed one of his own and took up the longer sword of his opponent; steadying his breathing and crouching into a threatening stance though it caused a stab of pain to shoot through his side. Guard 1 looked calm and collected despite his disadvantage causing Zoro to narrow his eyes in doubt, wondering if there were any hidden weapons on his opponent's person. To his surprise, the man was the first to act, dashing forward he swung one of his long arms around, not directing his strike at any particular point, but to inflict a distracting blow. Zoro brought his swords up attempting to cut the offending fists but the arms twisted and bent away from his attacks, hitting the hilt of his longer blade. He didn't release his blade however, and swung his other blade around for the opponents head, hoping to send the man back on the defensive. To his frustration, the guard ducked away, sending two quick jabs into his wounded side causing him to let out a wheezing hack, tasting copper blood in his mouth.

Zoro's eyes narrowed again, swinging his other sword up across the space between them, forcing the man to pull his stomach back to keep from being gutted. Swiftly, he took advantage of the moment and dashed forward, this time using the kantana in his mouth as the attacking force. Guard 1 was taken by surprise at the creative strike, a crazed grin crossing his face as he barely jerked to the side, a red slice making its way up from the right side of his chin to the peak of his cheekbone. It was the first expression he had given off other than stern professionalism and he assumed that the man had no real interest in fighting the regular warriors, but found his pleasure in the more imaginative forms of battle that he had clearly developed for himself.

Zoro didn't hesitate to move his other arm around smoothly to come down at his opponents shoulder, but to his surprise the man arched himself completely back, bringing his arms up and propelling his legs up into a kick that landed smoothly into the swordsman's chin. He flipped up, using his long arms as replacement legs and somersaulted back a few feet away to land securely upright.

Once again the two paused, both more aware of each other's ever growing potential and more cautious than before. Guard 1's face still showed hints of pleasure at the direction the duel had taken, reaching a hand into his coat and pulling out three small blades.

"I knew you had more tricks up your sleeve, clearly you've trained to wield more than one weapon with circus moves like that" Zoro said, his voice muffled through the hilt in his mouth.

The guard grinned coolly, tossing the daggers into the air and twisting around, snagging one as they hovered over his head. Zoro mentally prepared himself, knowing the man liked to feign attacks and switch his moves around. He decided to focus on the blades themselves rather than on the movement of the person wielding it like he was used to. He normally would focus on the arm to follow the flow of the weapon, because the sword can only react to the human movements of its master, but in this case the man's physical actions didn't guarantee the direct obedience of his blade.

The attacks were so quick that Zoro could only barely keep them at bay as the man juggled the daggers, keeping up the stream of optical illusions of movement and threats. He would strike out with one blade, then bring another arm around like he had another only to come up empty handed to throw off the pirate's pattern of defense.

Anger began to grow in Zoro as he realized that his slot of time to get to the general was shrinking and that his physical stamina was fading fast. Even as he fought he felt the warm blood flowing from his open wound and his vision was fighting to go out completely against his will. He had to finish this soon or he would either lose Yu or lose the fight entirely. So he narrowed his focus to finishing the battle quickly rather than keep the ferocious opponent at bay.

He spotted his moment, an opening in the guard's juggling act, and brought the long blade of his opponent forward. The tall man dodged to the side and struck at the hilt again, this time causing the first-mate to drop it with the force of his blow. Zoro gritted back a yell as the man kicked forward with his leg, once again into his injured side and for a moment he stumbled back. The moment was quicker than the guard had been expecting however as the pirate suddenly dashed forward in a full-on charge at the slender opponent. Guard 1 blinked in surprise, grabbing at another blade before he was plowed into by the sheer weight and force of the green hair opponent. The blow took his breath away but he brought the knife down into Zoro's shoulder-blade causing the man to shout in pain. His mind then to began to flash in warning as he naturally kept a conscious awareness of the other blades that had been left hovering where he had last been standing before the pirate had plowed into him. He acknowledged one as it clashed to the floor, but the other seemed to be missing.

It was immediately when he came to this realization that he felt a white-hot stab of pain shoot through his body, its source, the center of his stomach. His mind tried to sort where it had lost track of his opponent's weapons, for he had been sure that the pirate had dropped the one sword and the other two were still not drawn back for an attack at the time. The pain shot through him again and he looked down to see what was responsible; surprised to see his own dagger impaled in his narrow stomach. He then realized that the pirate had dropped the longer blade on purpose in order to grab one of his own knives he had left in the air and use it against him. The charge had not only been to get him away from his weapons, but for the swordsman to grab one for himself and use it as his own.

"Used my own technique against me…" he said as he puked up his own blood "very impressive pirate." An amused grin crossed his face as he pulled the dagger out of his opponent's shoulder and shoved himself away.

Zoro growled in pain at the sudden removal of the blade, but was glad it was out, knowing how much worse it would be to try and remove it himself. He stumbled back as well, catching his breath from exertion and pain.

The tall guard dropped to his knees, his entire chin and neck stained with crimson, the blood gushing from his side and stomach pooling up on dirty floor. He kept his narrow eyes on the pirate before him, the look of amusement and respect overpowering and indication of pain or suffering.

Zoro fought off the black spots clouding his vision once more, leaning against the wall for support for a moment to regain his bearings, then turning to the direction that the general had headed when he escaped. He grinned when he saw a trail of blood that seemed to have followed his exit, the first-mate's own personal bread-crumb path.

"Hey" the man coughed out before Zoro headed off again "he'll be *gasp*heading up the mountain to meet *wheeze* Mr. Able… when you get outside… just head up… *wheeze*… follow the walkway…"

The pirate knelt down so he was directly at eye-level to the man he had just defeated, letting a shutter of pain pass through him as his injuries were agitated.

"Thank you" he said, lifting the man's long blade and handing it back to him "you were a fierce opponent and I am proud to have had the honor of dueling you."

The man grinned coolly at him again, taking his kantana back and re-sheathing it at his side.

"It was fun" he said back, closing his eyes and falling forward.

Zoro caught him and leaned him against the wall, not wanting his opponent to die face-down on the dirty ground. He then turned and took off down the hallway, thankful that the blood had laid down a readable path for him to follow.

- Alvida and Orrin-

"Where the heck did that marksman go" Orrin growled as he continued to rush down the hallway. It had been several minutes since he lost sight of the flying blade that had shot off after the pirate, and he had absolutely no way of knowing where to go in order to be of any help. Dragging Alvida along with him slowed him down even more so, but he had refused to leave her alone when she had suggested the idea.

"Well at this rate he'll be dead by the time you find him" Alvida replied as she struggled to get her feet under her. She was glad that her body was starting to respond to her commands once again and was anxious to be able to carry her own weight.

"What the heck am I supposed to do then?" he shouted, not really expecting an answer, but rather wanting to vent a bit.

"I'm sure we can come up with something… something else, since finding this pirate is just about impossible at this point" she answered anyway.

Orrin paused, continuing to support most of Alvida's weight. "I owe this rescue to the Straw-Hat pirates, so I owe them… but I don't really have much I can do in return… but..hey… .wait a minute..." his face lit up like a light bulb had been turned on "I know what we need to do."

- Nami and Paul-

The battle around them was chaotic and fierce as the pirate and the marine rushed to where the damage seemed to be worst for the men. They heard the struggle before they saw it, the sounds of men screaming and shouts of attacks echoed across the rocky ground as they looked over the crowd to see marines flying in every direction and some other men running away from the source. When the multitude had cleared out enough for them to see, they looked across the clearing by the woods to see a large man moving at a speed far faster that his physique gave off, bringing his large arms around to send dozens of men crashing away. He had a crooked mouth that twisted into a snarl with some jagged teeth sticking out and his neck was so thick that it looked to be one with his broad shoulders.

Paul brought his reloaded pistols up and fired the second he got an opening. The guard evaded the bullets at a rate the seemed unnatural for his size and dashed forward. One of the marines beside them grabbed Paul and yanked him out of the way of the man's charge, saving him from the powerful blow.

"You think we haven't tried that already?" he shouted as they both stumbled away, keeping a wary eye on the giant of a man.

"What the crap's with this guy?" Paul yelled back over the roar of battle "he doesn't seem to be a commander!"

"We don't think he is, but if we don't take him out soon he'll kill everyone on this hillside, especially if he keeps up the pace he's going right now."

"I've got an idea!" they heard Nami yell from a few yards away. She was running for the forest where there weren't as many marines fighting and motioned for them to follow.

"Get him over here away from the others; I'll try to take him down!"

Paul didn't take the time to argue since he had no immediate plan of his own. He turned to where the man had ended up, seeming to have forgotten about the raven-haired boy he had missed as he struck down another wave of soldiers.

"Hey slow poke! You missed me!" he shouted over and then fired another four times from his two pistols. When he realized he had gotten the man's attention, he took off at a full run towards where the navigator was waiting by the woods.

The huge man had dodged the other four bullets and charged again, crashing through any other marines that tried to obstruct his path.

Paul saw the dark cloud that the pirate had formed and felt his breath catch as he realized that he was in a lose-lose situation. Either the huge man behind him was going to kill him, or he was going to get caught in the trap the navigator had set. He pushed the fear aside, concluding that his sacrifice would save the lives of his friends who were fighting all around him and that it would be worth it.

The second his mind reached that conclusion he felt the huge man's fist catch him in the right side of his back and he screamed as he felt three ribs crack under the pressure. Then he was flying, his vision blurred from pain but the feeling of weightlessness definite in his mind. He saw a huge flash of light from where he had just been and heard the loud booming crack that followed. Before his mind could sort out what had happened he struck the ground as gravity took over again and he felt himself roll several yards before hitting a solid obstruction in his path that he figured was a tree of some sort. At that moment he sorted his options of trying to stay conscious to see how the trap had worked or to give into the blackness that was flooding his vision. The decision was made for him as the darkness overtook him and his head dropped loosely to the ground.

Nami had hoped that Paul would have been able to dodge the attack of the huge man coming his way but clearly she had underestimated the enemy's speed and watched in horror as he struck the marine such a powerful blow that it sent him flying into the woods.

Not letting his sacrifice be in vain, she sent a final glowing orb into the cloud above the huge man and grinned as the glow of a huge strike of lightning hit the man head-on. The crack and the boom were deafening and a burned out hole was left where the enemy had been standing.

She opened her eyes after the flash had died out to see the man's shirt seared to a crisp and his pants dark and ashy. However, to her shock, his body seemed, for the most part, unharmed. His small-beady eyes narrowed in on her as he stepped forward.

"Nifty trick" he spoke up for the first time since they had seen him "but it won't work on me."

"W-what are you?" she stuttered as she took a step back and raised her weapon in a defensive position.

"I am guard number three" he responded "and I am a zoan-type devil fruit user. Prepare to die."

Nami's eyes widened in horror as the man began to grow in size, casting his monstrous shadow over her small figure. His shirt ripped and his skin began to change into a pale greenish color, his face narrowing and his snout growing out of his face.

"If you haven't guessed by now" he continued as his thick neck grew even thicker with fatty muscle and a narrow fin grew out of the back of his head and lead down his bare back, "I ate the eel-eel fruit."

TBC…

WOOHOO! Another chapter and the action has finally begun! I'm sorry it has taken me so long to update but I didn't get as many reviews that last chapter and it kinda slowed that update marathon I was having. But I am back! And super excited to be moving along with the plot!

Ghost of the moonlight- yay! Another cliffhanger (I just love them XD) I'm so glad you like the grouping I did with the crew. Sanji… will be back _ hopefully soon depending on how quickly I can get these chapters out. The two commanders are indeed new OC bad guys that I hope you will enjoy when their time comes ^_^ No they were not a part of Luffy's experimentation thank you so much for the encouragement and believe me, there is a ton of angst on the way… hope that doesn't spoil too much, but it's comin. Thank you so much! You've been a huge motivation for me to keep writing.

WezL- thank you soo much for always supporting me when I get these chapters out, I'm sorry it took me so long to update this time. There's some more Zoro screentime for ya ^_^ and there's more to come thanks again

Tare-chan- Hopefully Robin's fight will be super cool (I just have to write it before I can conclude on that) XD thank you for being so patient and always supporting me Hopefully Robin's fight will be arriving shortly and you will enjoy the rest of the story ^_^

-ie- No problem, there's still a decent amount to go before the ending but it is in sight and I'm really excited about it ^_^ thank you so much for the support and do enjoy the rest of the story.

Ri-Chan 89- heck yes it is! That makes me very happy! CX

Ancantsia- yeah, Luffy's kinda been the brunt of a lot of abuse on my part _ I guess I like to bully my fav characters. Yes, I look forward to Zoro's adventures in the coming chapters and Chopper isn't gone yet… it's just hard to get everyone into each chapter -_-' thank you so much for the review and enjoy the rest of the story!

()- you are so kind to come back and ask for an update T_T I had taken so long to update and was kinda losing my drive and then you decided to remind me that you're still waiting despite my slowness. Thank you!


	41. Overwhelmed

(I promise that I thought of and wrote Robin's battle before the latest chapter of OP. I also thought of the magnet man before Eustass Kid came up in the series. I did not just re-make Oda's characters as my own, I seriously thought them up beforehand.)

Robin and Guard 2-

There was a long pause after the crew had escaped the observation room. The guard was eying Robin curiously as she removed the layers of white robes she had worn in. With each one she took off, she threw it to the ground in a separate pile from the others.

Stroking his chin, the guard spoke up; "I was wondering what you had in mind that you though you would be able to defeat me, since apparently you didn't stay here to die, but I hope your plan isn't to seduce me out of a fight… as amusing as that would be to see."

Robin smiled back through the mask she was wearing, allowing an eyebrow to rise in response. "Don't worry, you're not really my type" she said, removing the final cloak to leave her clad in cargo pants and a tight black top.

With a smile, the guard let six blades detach themselves from his arms and face to hover around him, calmly preparing to kill his opponent. Another moment passed as the two evaluated each other, then guard two took the first action, sending the knives shooting towards the historian.

Her reaction was immediate as she raised her arms across one another, spreading her legs in tense preparation.  
"Cente-clone" she said boldly, and with her words the cloaks around her began to rise from the floor.

The guard blinked in surprise as eight dark-haired duplicates dashed away from the original, clad in the white robes she had just removed. The knives followed the separate figures, deferred from their original target. Growling, the guard removed another six blades from his person and followed up his first attack with another, the new set aiming directly for the clones that were running from the projectiles of the original six.

The moment they were about to impale the cloaked figures, the bodies in the cloth vanished with a burst of flower petals. The blades shot harmlessly through the fabric, redirecting toward the source in a united flowing motion. The instant they shot past the cloaks however, the clones returned to their robes and dashed forward again, causing the knives to reverse back and take chase once more.

The guard growled and allowed six more blades to hover up and around his body. He then drew a large cutlass from a sheath on his side and flipped it in his hand.

"Quite a trick you've figured out there pirate, but you can't run forever, and I control all metal. Now if you want to punch me to death or something, feel free to give it a shot, but you might as well quit before you get to tired to outrun my magnetism."

Though Robin hadn't done any real running herself, she was panting heavily, her brows furrowed in strained concentration. Controlling five full-bodied sets of herself was hard enough, but she had to be sure to watch for any backhanded tricks that came from the guard 2. Of course, despite his blatant confidence, the guard seemed a bit more wary in his movements than he had let on. His eyes darted to each of the robes, shooting small knives at the clones that came too close for comfort; but the pattern continued with the flow of the projectiles darting like a school of fish with the vanishing and reappearance of their targets.

The room was filling up with more and more of the man's weapons, making every move on the historian's part needing to be highly calculated.

The guard chuckled without any humor in his voice, the flipped the large cutlass once more into the air. With the momentum of the spin, he pulled his arm back and snatched the hilt, flinging it forward to spiral dangerously in the pirate's direction. Robin's eyes narrowed and she jerked her head to the side just before the blade caught her in the face, though she didn't spot it quick enough to fully dodge it as a large gash formed across her forehead above her left eye.

The normal attack without his devil-fruit ability threw off her pattern of drawing the knives away from herself and the clones began to stumble, not having any control with Robin's focus distracted. He immediately took advantage of the distraction and allowed three knives from his face to shoot towards the clones nearest to him.

The historian stumbled but dropped her hands quickly to cause the clones to vanish before they were impaled. The flood of knives immediately shot toward the nearest blood source and she once again had to focus on recreating her clones to draw them away, but already the guard was making a point to throw more knives at her without using magnetism. She moved to dodge, getting the hang of moving herself along with her duplicates and she jumped away from the small knives, hearing them clash harmlessly against the metal wall behind her.

Suddenly, there was a stab of pain in her left side causing her to yell out in pain. Looking down she couldn't see any tare in her black shirt, but when she lowered her hand to touch the source of her pain she felt the sticky blood spill into her hand before she pulled it back to see the stain of red that the dark fabric had camouflaged. There was no time to focus on it however, and the adrenaline kept her mind on the battle in front of her. She saw that one of her clones had vanished, leaving an empty cloak floating to the ground, torn and stained with crimson of the original wound inflicted on her duplicate that had once filled it.

"Well isn't that interesting" the guard sneered, drawing a few of the magnetized knives back to himself and taking hold of them with his hands.

"So you take on whatever damage your clones receive… and though you've managed to figure out how to avoid my magnetic devil-fruit ability,I've also already figured out how to deal with your little trick. It won't take me long to get you out of the way by now, and then I can finish the job by killing the brats outside, starting with your captain. Heck, that shouldn't be too hard, he's practically dead on his feet anyway."

Robin's eyes narrowed murderously and she brought her hands up, returning the clones back to their robes. Her concentration was heightened with her rage, ready to take on the battle before her and paying no heed to the metal door behind her or what could be happening behind it.

- Usopp-

"GYAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Usopp's voice echoed through the hallway as he ran from the knife that followed him relentlessly, easily keeping pace with his sprint and drawing closer with each minute the marksman lost his stamina. There was nothing in the barren tunnel to grab and deflect the projectile, and he couldn't take the risk of stopping and trying doors, so all he could do was what he did best. Run… and scream.

"Robbiiinn! Hurry up and beat this guy! *pant, pant* Ok, ok, now what would Zoro do?…"

He adjusted his face to resemble that of the swordsman.

"I must cut off my arm to draw it away that I may live and fulfill my dream!... ... HECK NO! I can't! I can't do it! I'm just a simple human!"

He turned a corner, looking down the hallway to see a door at the end, blocking his path.

"Alright thennnn! It's all or nothing!"

He didn't slow his pace and soon arrived at the door, slamming into it and grabbing the handle. The knob gave to his hand and he shouted in triumph, tugging to get it open as quickly as possible. However, the door only gave a little to his pull, causing him to squeak in panic.

"What the- Crap its heavy!" he shouted, frantically pulling with all his might, then resorted to rapid panicky yanks. He glanced back to see that the knife was only a few feet away and approaching rapidly. He let out another squeal and struggled even more with the heavy door, his face turning red from with strain.

The door opened just wide enough for him to fit through and he wiggled into the dark room. He quickly grabbed the other side and began another frantic struggle with the door to shut it before the knife reached its target. The door was just as stubborn the second time and he shouted in horror as he realized he wasn't getting it shut fast enough. Giving up at the last second, he jumped away and scrambled as quickly as he could into the dark room, hoping to find an exit or something to knock away the knife.

The sound of metal hitting metal could be heard behind him as the knife skidded across the steel door and slipped into the narrow opening.

Usopp became even more panicked as he stumbled through the dark, not knowing where the blade was behind him. He tripped over what felt like small metal cages so immediately he grabbed two and brought them up to block the unseen projectile.

"What the heck?" he heard a voice squeak out of the darkness. He thought he had heard the voice before but couldn't place it, nor did he have time to think it over as the impact of the flying knife slammed into one of the cages protecting him. The force knocked him into the opposite wall, and he struggled to keep it from maneuvering around his defenses, sliding his back to the side. He felt something click against his back and a florescent light flickered on, momentarily blinding him.

Looking down to see what had happened to the knife, he saw what he what he was actually holding. There were two metal cages, both containing what looked like two amputated arms.

"AYEEEEEEKKK!" he shouted, dropping them in horror. Only then did he realize he had dropped what was blocking him the small assassin knife. He let out another squeal and began another game of cat and mouse with the speedy projectile, dashing around the room in a frenzy.

"Hey! What the heck is going on! Who're- hey! You're that longnose fellow in Strawhat's crew! Hey… hey! Get me out of here!"

Usopp glanced around frantically to see who was speaking, hoping that maybe they could help him escape the flying blade. There was no large cell, just more small boxes, all holding various body parts, causing him to grow more panicked. Then his eyes caught where the source of the voice was coming from and everything became clear at once.

In the small cage was the head of none other than Buggy the Clown, that was bouncing around trying to get the marksman's attention.

"Oi! I know you! You tried to execute my- ACK!" Usopp tripped over a few more cages and fell to the ground. Without pausing to think he rolled to the side, feeling the slice of the knife on his arm and hearing it clash against the floor and skid around to hit him again.

Grabbing one of the cages he had tripped over, he knocked it away and jumped to his feet again.

"Haha!" He shouted, lifting his injured arm "now all I have to do is fling my blood somewhere and I can distract it!"

He flung his arm to splatter the blood against the wall, but his eyes popped wide in alarm when nothing happened. Looking down he realized the cut wasn't large enough to really cause him to bleed.

"CRAP!" he shouted, continuing his clumsy dash around the room to avoid the oncoming weapon.

"Hey! I can help you! Get me out of here!" he heard Buggy shout.

Dashing over to the captive head, he grabbed hold of the cage and kept running.

"Alright alright! I can't *pant* keep running like this, so I need you to grab the knife for me. It won't go after you because its- ayeeek!"

The knife was coming to fast and Usopp, stumbling over himself, turned and brought the small cage up to block himself.

"Hey" Buggy protested "what're you- AHHHHHH! Don't use me as a shield!"

He was ignored and the knife lodged itself into the box, its tip coming right up to the pirates red nose.

"Good! This is good" Usopp gasped.

"How the heck is this good" the clown squealed in rage "that could've killed me!"

"Alright alright, I need you to bite onto the knife and see if you can hold it away from me."

"AND WHY WOULD I DO THAT!"

"Well, I can't hold this cage away from me for much longer, aaaaannnnddd I could find a way to get you out of here. Sound like a deal?"

Buggy raised his eyebrows in thought, then seemed to come to a conclusion in his head.

"Fine."

-Luffy -

After spotting the six commanders running down the hallway Luffy immediately began to calculate how he would keep them from getting into the room Robin was fighting in. He knew that her enemy was powerful, and that he needed to keep any other opponents out of the battle or she would be overwhelmed. The only problem was that he was feeling sicker and sicker with each additional minute he was in the toxic hallway and he wondered if he had the strength to stop them. There was no time to calculate how the battle would play out, and he wanted to keep them as far away from the door as possible as long as he could so he brought his hands up and grabbed two doorframes on opposite sides of the hallway and pulled himself back like a slingshot.

"Gomu-gomu-noooooooo, ROCKETTTT!"

He shot forward at a powerful speed down the narrow corridor, straight toward the commanders who were standing like bowling pins in his path.

"What the-" one began as his eyes tried to comprehend what was shooting down the hall.

There was half a second between when they realized what was coming and when the pirate made contact with the unsuspected victims. All six of them were plowed down and sent skidding back down the hallway, sliding to as painful stop against the dirty floor.

Luffy bounced and skidded several more feet passed them, landing in a puddle of something he didn't want to guess what it was. A pale light flickered above him and he weakly struggled back up to his feet, assessing the damage he had done to his opponents.

Two were unconscious, the other four rubbing whatever body parts had gotten the worse for the wear.

He wanted to take them on before they could recover but suddenly his body began to shake and a jolt of pain shot through his lungs. His vision blurred and he collapsed to his knees. Before he could stop himself he began to dry-heave and whatever meat he hadn't already digested made its way back up his throat and joined the already nasty pile of filth he was sitting in. When he thought he couldn't puke up anything else he looked down to see a dash of red mixing in with the rest of the muck and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, drawing it away to see his own blood.

"What the-" he began, then looked up just in time to see the black knee of a commander right before it crashed into his face.

The blow sent him flailing farther down the hallway, skidding weakly in a heap several yards away.

"Eww, I think I got some vomit on my pants" sneered the bulky commander "we should finish off this runt before he makes any more of a mess.

Luffy's eyes regained focus as he looked over his last four opponents, ignoring the taunts. His heart jumped a bit from either fear or excitement as he recognized two of them as the ones who had tortured him that last time in the testing room.

His pride got him up quicker than his physical strength. He wouldn't show these men how weak he was, and he still remembered the feeling of helplessness that came over him when the seastone gas entered his lungs. He remembered that he could still move, no matter how sick or weak he was feeling. He could still move.

"No no" said one of the commanders he recognized "let's take our time. There's nobody to make us stop now. We can do anything we want with this punk now."

Luffy brought his fists up in a defensive stance, grinning a bit to himself. He had successfully distracted them entirely from the room in which Robin was having battle.

- Sky -

At around the same time Nami and Paul had reached the third guard, Sky had made his way to the heat of the battle where the two powerful commanders were causing the most havoc. Pushing through the crowd of marines, he broke through to see the odd tag-team.

One was extremely large, a colossus of a man with sideburns that were equally impressive. His big palms swung around like battering rams into the unfortunate men that got too close. Sky decided to deem him "Mr. Sideburns."His large arms were bleeding from a few bullet wounds but they didn't seem to cause him too much trouble, and it looked like no-one was firing on him anymore.

"Hey" Sky said, grabbing a nearby marine by the shoulder "why isn't anybody shooting at these guys? There's enough of us here to do enough damage, and even giants can only take so much."

"Because" the young marine responded regretfully "every man that shot those bullets has been killed by the big guys partner. Every man. It's a death-wish to shoot at those two."

Sky creased his eyebrows in confusion and concern, turning his scarlet eye back to the scene before him.

The smaller commander wore a hat and looked less like a marine and more like a land soldier with his jacket rowed with buttons across his chest, the flap pulled across the front.

_A hired killer perhaps?_ Sky thought to himself as he sized up his opponents.

The small commander had a difficult pattern to follow, but seemed to keep close to the large commander for the most part, darting away and slicing down opponents with two long slender hatchets. They were nasty weapons, Sky thought, leading to messy and cruel kills.

The first thing he needed to do was to separate them, they worked well as a team and he hoped that perhaps if the smaller one wasn't inflicting fear on the surrounding soldiers, they would have a chance to shoot down the larger one. If that didn't work, he would have to take them both on himself and do his best to keep the others safe.

Sky walked to an opening in the crowd that made a clear path to the two men and for a moment, it seemed that he and the chaos around him were in whole different worlds, though whether he or they were in slow-motion, he couldn't say.

Reaching up his arm and taking up his long, thin rifle from his back, he turned his head toward his targets. His movements were smooth and he brought the shiny muzzle up easily with his well-trained arm to where the sights lined up with his one good eye, not bothering to close the blind one. With his left hand, he reached down and removed the whip from his belt and let it unravel, letting it hang loosely to the ground.

Allowing himself to rejoin the world of the rest of the crowd, his actions went unnoticed in the dust and chaos flooding the hillside.

Then he fired.

The bullet sped past dozens of men before it reached its target, driving deep into the chest of Mr. Sideburns, right over his heart. The man reeled back, letting out a yell of pain, but it was far from a lethal shot, as the man's chest was thicker and tougher than the average person's.

Immediately both commanders narrowed their gaze onto the small ex-general, and he felt the men around him distance themselves from him. He didn't blame them though; he had drawn attention to himself and preferred they stay away and for no more blood to be shed.

The smaller commander rushed into action, flipping the two hatchets in his hands and dashing up Mr. Sideburns' back. Leaping from one of the massive shoulders, he propelled himself into the air and over the heads of several marines, aiming directly for the grey-haired boy.

Sky lifted the muzzle of his rifle and fired at the man he had deemed "hatchet-man." He spun the two weapons skillfully to deflect the bullets, then he swung himself around to build up for his attack.

There was a faint crack heard in the air over the noise of battle and the man had a second to see the thin black leather of Sky's whip before it coiled itself around his neck and then tensed as the young marine yanked it down.

He slammed into the rocky earth, scattering rocks and causing an explosion of dust to shoot out from the impact. The whip tightened around his neck and his windpipe was cut off, causing him to choke and struggle for air.

It felt like déjà vu to Sky to see a powerful warrior at the end of his whip, being cheated out of a head on battle, and he felt a stab of guilt of his fight against the mighty swordsman Zoro just a few days earlier; but there was no cheating being done in this battle considering it was two against one.

Hatchet man brought one of his weapons up to cut the thick wire but Sky was quick to draw his gun and fire. It was a sure shot but before it hit its target it was blocked by an enormous arm. Sky jerked back in surprise at how rapidly Mr. Sideburns had reached his partner, and was doubly surprised at actually seeing the man's speed in action as the giant charged him.

There was no time to draw a weapon or run so he brought his arms up to block the attack, but he couldn't be prepared for the full force that was packed into the tackle. The hit sent him flying back with the monstrous man's head in his chest. The charge ended when they both slammed into a boulder in their path, Mr. Sideburns' full weight bearing down on the young marine, who let out a shout when the air was knocked out of his lungs, then a gasp of pain as he drew in air again.

He didn't bother to assess the damage the strike had done as he needed to focus on the battle first and foremost; so, ignoring the pain, he brought a knee up into the huge man's face then sent an elbow into a bullet wound he found on the man's shoulder. This succeeded in getting Mr. Sideburns away from him as he stumbled back with a shout of annoyance and pain, but not without slapping him to the side with a huge palm. Sky worried for a moment that he would black out as his body once again contacted the rocky hillside, his knees and elbows torn to shreds, but to his relief the dots filling his vision fled and he regained his senses.

His scarlet eye noted the darkness of the earth before him as a large shadow fell upon him and he looked up to see Mr. Sideburns standing before him with Hatchet man standing on his shoulder. A twinge of panic hit him as he realized that he had lost both of his favorite weapons in the last few seconds and now was face to face with two considerably more powerful opponents.

He scrambled to his feet before the smaller commander lept at him once again, hatchets swinging almost gracefully. Thinking quickly, he grabbed his long white cloak and flung it between his assailant and himself, shielding him from the man's view for just enough time for him to tug it off and jump away, leaving the pale cloth hovering in his place. The hatchets cut cleanly through the fabric and Hatchet man landed powerfully where the grey-haired marine had just been.

Suddenly, Sky noted a shadow covering him once more (which was making him more and more uncomfortable each time it happened) and he gazed up to see Mr. Sideburns airborne above him. His eyes widened in shock and he lept back a second before the man came smashing down on the rocky ground, leaving a crater in his wake.

Feeling desperation, Sky reached down to his right boot and pulled out a foot-long dagger that had been hidden there. The moment he removed it he brought his head up to see Hatchet man dashing through the smoke of the previous attack at an unnatural speed. He brought up his blade just in time to block one of the hatchets, though the other came swinging up for his chin. Jerking his head back just in time, he stumbled back to put some distance between him and his opponent.

At that instant he realized he had put Mr. Sideburns in his literal blind-spot and had lost sight of the giant. He realized it too late and felt the smashing blow of a powerful fist slam into the back of his right shoulder-blade, causing it to crack sickeningly before the rest of his body gave to the punch and flew several more yards.

When he skidded to a stop once more, he struggled to get back on his feet but slid back down to the earth, his body pleading for rest.

The blasted shadow returned.

His vision was too blurred to make out who it was but he already knew it was the two commanders. He felt a boot shove his shoulder back to where he was laying on his back, the pain in his injured shoulder-blade protesting the movement.

"You were a bit more entertaining than the rest" he heard a deep voice say, assuming it belonged to Mr. Sideburns.

"But we have to finish up here and you're a distraction."

And that must be Hatchet Man.

He felt something cool touch his neck and he opened his violet eye to see the smaller commander crouching over him, a hatchet poised at his neck.

The hatchet was raised and he shut his eyes with anticipation, but the pain didn't come and in the distance he thought he heard a gunshot.

Blinking his eyes open again he looked up to see Hatchet Man griping his hand in pain with blood flowing freely from a bullet wound.

The man glared up at whoever his savior had been, clearly distracted from his previous task. Taking up his fallen hatchet with his bloody hand, the commander stood to his feet and charged at the crowd of marines around them.

Several more shots were fired and then the giant's shadow had also left him.

Catching his breath, he struggled to his knees and looked after where the man had gone. The two fighters were once again causing havoc among the ranks of marines, and he cringed in rage as he saw many good men fall under the large fists and hatchets of his former opponents.

He had to get them away from his men.

Looking around, he saw that they had come closer to the cliff-side that led away from the battlefield and he formulated another idea. If he could draw them away to chase him along the cliff, it would take them much longer to get back and do any more damage; and by then there was a chance that the Strawhat pirates might have returned and could deal with these opponents.

Taking advantage of the distraction, he ran as quickly as he could and grabbed his rifle and whip from the dusty ground and ran for the cliff. Then, skidding to a stop, he turned and brought the muzzle of his gun up once more and fired accurately into the crowd, this time hitting the Hatchet Man and then sending three more shots at Mr. Sideburns.

That got their attention.

"Hey douchebags! Why don't you finish what you started! Or did I scare you off?"

-Luffy-

The commanders were the first to strike out against the dark-haired captain, some wielding swords, some with their bare hands. Luffy jumped back, hoping to draw them farther from where Robin was fighting. They all followed after him, growing more confident with each step the pirate made in retreat.

"What's the matter kid? We scaring you?"

Luffy frowned but didn't respond as he took another step backward.

One of the shorter men brought out three small blades from his jacket and threw them from the crowd aiming for the pirate's head. Luffy, who had been too busy dodging other attacks only had room to raise a forearm and block. The projectiles lodged themselves into the boy's muscular flesh but he didn't react, simply yanking them from his arm and throwing them to the side as he brought the same fist forward in attack.

"GATTLIINGGG!" he shouted as he went to take them all out as quickly as he could. However, the attack was much slower and weaker that he had expected and to his horror, one of the commanders managed to catch his wrist and yank him forward. Using the force of the recoil to add to the punch, the commander brought a fist forward and slammed it into his captive's stomach, causing Luffy to let out a gasp of pain, then choke up as more of the surrounding gas filled his lungs. Blood spilled out of his mouth as he struggled to breath and pain waves shot through him once more.

"W-what the heck's happening t'me?" he choked out before he was slammed to the floor. Once again he was lying in his own blood, this time looking up at the cruel face of the commanders as one sat on his chest, pinning him down, and the others grabbed his arms.

"You getting used to this Strawhat?" the commander said, grabbing the pirate by the neck and forcing him to look at him.

Luffy allowed his glazed eyes to fall upon his tormentor, but he continued to pant and gasp heavily as his lungs screamed for mercy.

"What do you think we should do with you boy? Hmmmm… maybe finish what we started?" The man looked over at one of the other commanders who was holding a shining blade in his hand and smiling.

Luffy's eyes widened as he recognized the man as the one who had gone to amputate his arm in their last confrontation and his panting grew heavier as he felt panic flutter through his stomach and he began to struggle with his captors.

"Ah, seems like you like the idea. Well then, let's get started… maybe we can see how many limbs we can remove before you stop screaming."

Luffy began to buck against their hold as he felt his left arm being stretched away from him and he began to shout.

"Hey! Hold still!" the commander on his chest growled, slamming his head into the ground, then placing his hands on the struggling boy's shoulders. The other men standing around started to kick at whatever parts of Luffy's stomach were open and he felt blood flood his throat again. Struggling to cough it out as he was on his back, he began to choke and turned his head to the side to let it flow out of his mouth, covering his chin.

He opened his eyes and saw his outstretched arm laid out like a sacrificial offering before the cruel men hovering over him and for some reason he thought back to Shanks and his sacrifice to save his life. Perhaps this was his sacrifice for his crew to get out safely…

The blade was lowered to his arm and his breathing picked up with anticipation.

Then the commander on his chest leaned forward and whispered into his ear.

"And just so you know boy, you may think you kept us from getting to that room, but we will go there and kill anyone associated with you that's left there."

As he spoke Luffy's eyes widened and his eyebrows lowered with rage. Then, as if the thought had driven him mad, he slammed his forehead into the nose of the speaking commander and jerked his head to the side, biting the wrist of the man holding the blade so hard that it caused blood to spurt out and the man to scream.

Slamming the soles of his feet into the ground, Luffy bucked violently, sending the disgruntled man on him fall forward. Then, as if suddenly blessed with supernatural strength, he jerked his hands back, placing them palms down on the ground and shoving his torso up with his legs. Then, he flipped his entire body up like a crunch in mid-air and flipped completely over, landing knee-first on top of the man who had been taunting him seconds before.

Slamming a powerful fist into the already-broken nose of the commander under him, he sealed the man's demise and stood to his feet again.

"W-what are you!" the commander he had bitten gasped as he gripped his injured wrist.

Luffy didn't bother with a response, but charged the remaining three commanders. Two of them brought up their weapons to fight him off as the third, the one who had earlier tried to remove his arm, slowly backed away in fear.

The battle was quick and chaotic, but in less than a minute the two commanders were on the ground either unconscious or dead. Luffy then turned his head, his black eyes piercing hatefully at the man retreating away.

The man shuffled backward in horror as the captain slowly stalked toward him.

"H-how can this be? Where did that power come from? Who are you to take down this prison?"

Luffy took another step and raised his head.

"I'm the man who's gonna be king of the pirates!"

To be continued…

YAYYYY! I finished another chapter! And since I made you all wait so long, I made it a super long one. I couldn't believe that the latest chapter of One Piece had Robin cloning herself O_O I wish I had posted this chapter sooner, but do acknowledge that I had referenced her new technique in previous chapters. I am soooooo excited about the climax XD I've been waiting for these scenes for so long and they're finally here! Please continue reading and reviewing! You have all been wonderful and encouraging and I hope I didn't make you wait too long.

(Believe it or not I've been to both Ethiopia and the Caribbean over the past five weeks o_O)

IN FACT! I WENT SAILING THE CARIBBEAN ON A LITTLE SHIP! We spent three days sailing the Tobago Ceys of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (my parents were missionaries there for ten years and we were also coming back to visit the church and some friends there).

Ghost of the moonlight- yay for Zoro action! (not any in this chapter though… but soon!) I was so encouraged that you liked how his duel played out. And the fact that you care about Paul really couldn't make me happier T_T in fact, that you like any of my OCs totally makes my day! I've actually drawn Guard 3 more than most of my OCs in here, hopefully I'll post a design on my deviantart account soon. I really left a cliffhanger… then didn't deal with it XD im pretty sure I'll deal with that fight in the next chapter. (I do love my angst XD and I do love Sanji… so I intend for both to be in the coming chapters) AYEEK! Your longest review! DAWWW! I'm so happy! I'm so sorry for my super long delay! I'll try hard to update as often as possible now that I'm back home. I can't thank you enough for all of the encouragement. You've made this story a lot of fun to develop.

Avatoa- oh noes! Maybe I over-emphasized the acrobatic side of his style XD maybe to defer people from that I should draw him and post his design on my deviantart account. Thanks for the feedback

Red Voident Dragon- thankyou for being awesome and reviewing chapters as you read them. It really makes me happy to read how you felt as the story developed I hope you stuck around to finish with me

Kitty-bandit- KITTY! It's been so long! I am so sorry for how long it has taken me to update and I hope you haven't forgotten about me since I last wrote T_T and right when u said you were proud of me updating *sniff* I'm so sorry I let you down! I'm so glad you liked guard 1 and how the fight turned out! It's a little nerve racking to write those as you see them in your head and hope they make sense. Annnd here was a bit more from Luffy I do love writing about him best cause he's my fav character. Now you swore not to disappear so I shall wait and hope you stuck around to see how the story turns out. Thank you so much for all of the encouragement so far! It's been much more fun to write when you know others are enjoying the story.

WezL- I know! 40 O_O I don't think I would ever have thought it would end up being this long when I started it, but it's been so fun thanks for sticking with me for 20 chapters!

Nightmoonhowl- hello there! And thanks ^_^

Lady Ri of Cherith- Hello my lady ^_^ (aka Ri-Chan 89) How can this be! Well, I hope you get this chapter before you forget I'm even still writing it (I hate when I don't write for so long) *spoiler* (and heck no you don't want to be at the end of that attack) AYEEK -^_^- that makes me so happy you like my art! Thank you so much for all of the encouragement!

EALM528- and here is another action packed chapter thank you for reviewing!

Tare-chan- yay! I'm glad you liked it! I left Nami's fight a cliffy for another chapter, but hopefully it will get clearer as the fight developes. Here's some of Robin's turn ^_^ and we'll see how that turns out. I hope you managed to wait through my super long delay

Fan25- really! YAY! That makes me so happy! I hope you didn't have to wait too long

SUP- :D You have totally made my day! I want to write so much more when kind people like you take time to review and encourage me to continue. I couldn't conclude Nami's fight this chapter cause all of this stuff needs to be happening in sequence for the events to work together with my plot, so I hope people don't get back to her fight and wonder what the heck's going on XD I really hope my update was fast enough and that you enjoy the rest of the story (and ur review really got me going again, so thank you)


	42. Something Seriously Wrong

-Luffy -

The final commander was defeated quickly and without much trouble. Luffy was grateful that the man's state of mind was already panicked and the fight was won before he even threw a punch.

With the battle concluded, the hallway was silent except for his rasping breaths and the echoes of an unseen battle taking place in the room down the corridor. For a moment, he felt the rare lack of ability to know what to do. Usually he would go charging down the hall with some goal to achieve or friend to protect, but at that moment, he couldn't even think of where to go next.

Slowly, he turned to look back down where he had come.

"Oi, maybe I can slingshot myself back… it sure would be a long way to walk…"

Swaying as he took a step forward, Luffy tried to see strait as his vision blurred and the passageway began to twist before him.

"Wha- what the heck?" he stammered as he stumbled another few steps, "this isn't… seastone doesn't make me feel like this."

He managed to make it another few yards till he stumbled to the side and leaned against the dirty wall, sliding down into a heap on the floor.

Another wave of pain racked his body and he curled in on himself, ignoring the blood and vomit that he had heaved up again.

"Robin…" he said weakly "you might want to hurry…"

-Zoro-

"Thank God!" Zoro exclaimed as he opened a door that lead to the outside.

Sunlight momentarily blinded him as he stepped out of the gloom, but he welcomed it and let a small smile cross his lips before letting his eyes adjust and continue tracking to trail the General Yu had left.

Despite his injuries Zoro had made good time and once his vision returned to normal he looked up and spotted a small rockslide up the hill that clearly was the result of the slip of a person's foot. His eyes narrowed and he picked up his pace while he had a blatant lead.

The steep hillside was scattered with disfigured evergreens and it lead up to what looked like the peak of the pear-shaped volcano. The elevation was much higher than where the entrance of the prison was and he figured that all of the hallways and stairs had eventually carried him upward, though when he had gone in he had figured he would be going down.

The cooler air was welcoming and a part of him wished that once this was all over that he could come back here and enjoy the scenery. But the thought of a time of peace seemed alien to him as the idea crossed his mind and he immediately narrowed his focus on the man he intended to kill.

Fueled by the memories of the footage he had seen in the recording room, the swordsman picked up enough speed to catch a glimpse of the general's cloak; then his entire back as he spotted him scrambling up a rock side.

"Quit running and face me you rat!" he yelled, his hatred for the man growing with every step.

Grabbing a twisted tree branch, Zoro hauled himself up a particularly steep embankment and stumbled into an opening but did not see Yu.

His first thought was to keep running, but he brought into consideration his record with directions and thought it best to step back and think it through.

He had been sure that he was right on the general's back seconds before, and he doubted the man could run much faster than he had been. Perhaps the man hadn't gone in any of the directions before him, but instead…

Instinct built in from years of experience alerted him to a quiet movement behind his back. Air being cut by a blade could be heard behind him and immediately he brought out a blade of his own. Turning, he was surprised to see open space behind him and glanced up just to see the general dropping down on him from a branch a few feet above.

"Well aren't you the brave one" he shouted mockingly as he brought his sword up and blocked the attack, a few sparks popping as the two metal weapons clashed and skidded together. A glint of brief madness flashed across the swordsman's eyes as he faced off against the man responsible for his captain's suffering, then it was gone as his focus of battle brought a stern expression back to his complexion.

Zoro's block was so powerful that it knocked the descending man from his course, sending him skidding across the opening. Regaining his bearings, Yu got back to his feet, not bothering to dust himself off as he looked up with a desperate fear which reminded Zoro of a cornered rat. The natural scowl that had only shown a confident pride up to that point was now turned into an unusual panic and he stayed crouched, ready to either attack or to make a break for it. Zoro assumed the latter considering his developed opinion of the man. It was obvious the general had been counting on his surprise attack to keep his pursuer from having a chance to face him in an honest battle. Considering that the pirate had managed to defeat the guard and had been well enough to catch up to his main target spoke enough of him to make him a fearsome enemy and General Yu didn't like it.

"I saw" Zoro said, diving right into the tension between them. "I saw what you did to my captain."

Yu stayed frozen in his crouching squat, his arms apart as he stooped in anticipation for whenever the other swordsman's composure would snap and come at him.

"Hey, hey look, I'm not responsible for what happened in there. I'm just like the others, just doing what gets me paid."

His words did not get the response he was looking for as Zoro's face darkened in disgust.

"Look, I'm just an underling of the big guy in charge; nothing personal."

He was getting desperate.

Zoro scowled at him, looking more menacing with each word that came out of the other man's mouth.

"You expect me to think better of you…," Zoro paused, as if what he was saying was too appalling to actually speak, "… because you did this out of greed? The fact that it's not personal makes you even more like a cockroach that I thought."

As if the swordsman's words sealed his fate, Yu bolted away at a dead run, his only hope in that he would come across Mr. Able. Otherwise he would have to turn and fight.

His run didn't last but a few seconds before he was kicked down by the faster pirate. Stumbling down, he faceplanted into the dirt, turning quickly and bringing his sword up in defense, but Zoro didn't attack.

Something in the swordsman's eyes was off, and it gave Yu an uncomfortable chill down his spine.

"You know" Zoro started as he walked toward the general who was scrambling backward, "the first thing I remember Luffy doing when I joined his crew was to save a town from the tyranny of a pirate with nothing but kindness to back up his actions. Heck, then he nearly died to free a friend from a life of servitude to a fishman pirate." The swordsman paused, now with both kantanas drawn but not proceeding any further.

"Let's see, then we traveled to the grand line and after we were jumped by a city of bounty hunters, he picked a fight with me for beating them up. You know why? Because he had an unnatural sense of friggin justice and a kindness like I've never seen!"

Zoro was livid by then, but he held his position.

"That boy that you've treated like a lab rat these last few days saved an entire country from civil war! Because he loved and cared for his nakama!"

"L-listen" Yu lifted a hand "I-I'm not responsible for any of this-"

"Shut up! You… who are you to- what have you-" the swordsman seemed to be stumbling over his words; the emotions of the last few days breaking his composure that he had managed to keep so well.

"It was you who ordered the gas experimentation, and you who tortured my captain when he couldn't defend himself! You… the useless scum that you are… "

The general scrambled back to his feet once more, his sword still drawn between him and Zoro.

"This whole project belongs to someone else" Yu said, continuing to cast the blame. "Mr. Able, he's the one you want. He was the one who wanted results so quickly, and I did what I had to do to speed up the process."

Zoro didn't speak, but continued to glare with disdain at the man before him.

"If you want to take out who's really responsible, we're meeting up the mountain a ways. I could lead you to him if you promise not to hurt me."

The swordsman continued in his silence, but walked forward. He was done talking.

Suddenly, general Yu swung a concealed pistol out of his sleeve, aimed it at the chest of the pirate in front of him and fired.

-Robin and Guard 2 -

The battle of concentration continued as the guard's army of magnetic blades danced around the room towards the vanishing and reappearing robed clones. On occasion he would snag one of them with a regular blade, inflicting more wounds upon the she-pirate. Her black outfit hid the blood that now covered her body, but it was clear that she was growing weak.

"How much longer are you going to keep this up?" the guard said, raising his arms and mock question. "There's nothing you can do to harm me, and sooner or later one of my blades are going to hit something vital. Why don't you quit struggling?"

Robin's face remained calm, not swayed by her opponents taunting. Calculating her time, she dropped her arms behind her (allowing her clones to vanish) and pulled two wooden spikes from her back.

The guard frowned, suddenly wary of the non-metallic weapons his opponent had presented. Taking two more blades back to his hands, he quickly threw them in her direction.

The entire room was filled with his knives, all shooting towards their one target; the non-magnetic ones joining with the rest of the pack.

Robin ducked, causing the blades to fly harmlessly over her head, and brought her arms up in front of her again.

The abandoned cloaks were filled again and he swarm of knives diverted once again.

In two smooth and calculated moves, she threw the wooden spikes directly for the guard in front of her, then returned her focus to the pattern of removing her clones from their path.

Guard 2 had been ready for the dangerous projectiles, dodging one and blocking the other one, knocking it to the side.

Laughing he redirected his focus to the historian.

"That was you're big plan?" he chuckled "throw some sticks at-"

His taunt was cut short as he felt a wooden spike jam into his back, the point protruding slightly out of his chest.

Behind him was a clone he had not been watching for who had caught one of the dodged stakes and lashed out without warning. Her presence had been unnoticed due to the fact that up to that point, clones had only appeared inside of the white robes in front of him, none actually succeeding to get around to his back. The woman behind him had not been clad in anything to indicate her arrival, and she vanished as quickly as she had come.

"Wh-" he tried to question, but he couldn't get the words out as he coughed up blood and fell to his knees. As he dropped, so did the magnetic blades, the clatter of metal on the concrete floor echoing through the room.

Robin gasped in exhaustion as she also dropped to her knees. Cuts riddled her body and she was exhausted from moving so many full-bodied clones of herself.

But her captain was outside and there was little time to rest. Dragging herself back to her feet she stumbled to the door and slowly slid it open.

-Usopp and Buggy -

At around the time Robin had drawn the wooden spikes, Usopp had managed to find a key to Buggy's multiple cages; all the while with the cage containing the pirate's head banging into him every few seconds. Buggy had managed to grab the knife with his teeth to keep it hooked in the cage so it wouldn't be able to reach his rescuer but his attitude was growing worse and worse with every minute.

"What the heck's taking so long!" he yelled, his voice muffled by the knife in his mouth.

"I'm working on it" Usopp growled back as he opened a cage that contained the other pirate's hand. "Look, you can use this to hold the knife off."

"Stop talking like you're giving me a present" Buggy replied angrily "that's MY hand we're talking about!"

"And you stop talking like you don't need me" Usopp replied as he hastily opened a few more cages, some of which contained pieces of the clown he couldn't recognize. "If I hadn't come along you'd be stuck in here."

"Hey! If I hadn't been in here, you'd be dead! So don't go spouting this "you owe me" crap!"

Suddenly, the magnetic dagger dropped lifelessly to the ground, causing both men to look down blankly. All of the panic was replaced with realization, and almost a disappointment with how insignificant the little piece of metal really was in comparison to how much trouble it had put them through.

They then looked up at each other, Usopp holding a cage in his hand, and Buggy's head still locked in his own little cell.

"You finish opening those cages or so help me-"

"Chill out man, I'm almost done anyway, but I need to get back to my captain so I'm not going to stick around for whatever you have in mind."

Buggy chuckled, "as long as you're headed out of this place, I'll join you."

Once the clown was put back together, the two heaved the heavy door open again and dashed back down the hallway.

-Alvida and Orrin -

"This is…" Alvida started, looking over the door Orrin had led them to.

"Yes, the research lab" he said, finishing her unspoken sentence. "This is where all of the research you guys have done had been stored. It also contains the formula used to create the seastone gas. In here is all of the evidence the government needs to see to accuse everyone here of illegal experimentation."

Alvida typed in the security code and pushed the door open, looking in on the abandoned computer room. Inside were all of the recordings of the pirate's "tests" that had been done over the past few days, as well as all of the material needed to reproduce the product they had developed.

"You know what we need to do" Orrin said, looking at her with serious eyes.

Turning from his gaze to look back on the lab she responded, "what we've created here is worth billions of beri, more than you or I have ever seen."

He didn't respond, but turned his gaze to the room as well.

"It wasn't worth it Orrin" she said, her voice breaking. "What I've done… I traded my soul for this- this corrupt money. I betrayed my crew, I tortured a good man, and Orrin… I gave you up… for this empty prophet."

Tears filled her eyes as she spoke and Orrin looked over at her, keeping silent as he did.

Suddenly, he walked over to one of the computers and ripped it from the wall; then with a heave he sent it flying across the room into a table of lab equipment.

"What the- Orrin?" Alvida exclaimed, wiping her eyes.

"Let's destroy this place" he said, their eyes meeting. "You can't erase the past, but you can destroy what you made of it."

Alvida smiled at him as he kicked a screen down from a table and grabbed a chair, flinging it into a filing cabinet.

"Fine by me" she said "but before we tear this place down, I need to save some footage of what happened these past few days… Luffy's crew… they deserve to know what I've done, and I need to atone for my actions."

"Are you sure that's a wise idea?" Orrin asked worriedly, "I don't think they'll be too happy with you."

"Wise? Heck no, but I need to face up to this or it will forever be on my conscience."

Orrin smiled back at her, "if you keep this up, I might have to assume there's some good in you after all."

"Don't go jumping to conclusions" she said as she plugged a drive into the computer and saved the files to it.

"But for now" she said when she was done, sticking the drive into her pocket "let's destroy this place."

"Sounds good to me" Orrin replied, grinning as he rested a broken-off chair leg on his shoulder.

- Robin and Luffy -

Robin painfully made her way out of the door and into the dimly lit hallway. Immediately she spotted the pile of bodies a few yards away and her focus narrowed down to the crumpled body of her captain on the floor.

Her pain forgotten, she ran to his side, jerking off her mask to return it to Luffy. Before she lifted his face to do so, she eyed with worry the puddle of vomit and blood that had pooled under his cheek. As she looked over her captain she noted his pain-filled gasps for breath and how his body shuddered with faint spasms.

Gently, she wiped the grime and blood from his chin and put the mask over his nose and mouth. Her head spun and her already weakened body grew more tired as the gas entered her lungs, but her focus was solely on her captain.

Something was seriously wrong with him, and it wasn't just the gas.

Hoping that Usopp had managed to elude the blade chasing him long enough for her to defeat the guard, Robin softly turned the dark-haired boy over to his back to make him more comfortable, resting his limp head on her lap.

TBC…

YAY! Another chapter! Thank you all so much for keeping with the story. I missed some of my old reviews I had before the long break I took but I hope most of you are still enjoying. I missed you're review Ghost of the Moonlight T_T

Do know that I LOVE reviews and seriously appreciate all of the encouragement so far.

I'm so excited! The story is finally coming closer to its climax - but not quite yet ;) still a lot of excitement to come.

TARIGARMA12- thanks for being so patient and keeping up with it despite the delay I sometimes feel like these hurt/comfort fics with Luffy usually end up making him a little more frail than in the series and I wanted to keep him in that strong character. I'm glad you liked it ^_^ Here's Zoro! And we'll have to wait and see what happened with him _

Tare-chan- too short! O_O that was like, my longest chapter ever (jk, I'm glad you wanted more) Andddd, I happened to finish Robin's fight this chapter *woohoo!* hope it was to your liking ^_^ Thank you so much for the encouragement!

SUP- :D you make me so happy! You're reviews are so lighthearted and fun to read and really get me motivated to write more. Sorry I didn't get to Nami's fight this chapter (wow, that's two chapters after the cliffhanger… kinda mean now that I think about it) I also love NamixLuffy. I have some fanart on deviantart of the pairing and I have another fic on here that is action/romance for the pairing XD Hmmmm, we'll have to see if it's a deathfic of not ;) Thank you sooo much for the encouragement and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story (ps- you're welcome -^_^-)

Llaelien- thank you so much ^_^ I'm glad you noted the history. It's nice when people acknowledge the thought put into a story.

Kitty-bandit- YAY! You're still reading! I was waiting anxiously to see if you had given up on me, but here you are I'm super glad you're liking the battles and even more happy you like Sky. -^_^- Really? DAW! That makes me so happy! I hope that the story continues to entertain you. You're reviews just make my day. You make me want to write all the time cause I look forward to your comments so much. I do remember your idea and have been developing an idea around the concept. I'll tell you what, the latest episodes in the series have really been helpful because they've been based around Luffy's childhood. Of course I'll have to finish this one before I get to another one, but I'm seriously considering using your idea. Thanks again!

WezL- Thank you again for the continuous support, and I'm so happy you enjoyed Robin's fight. Yeah, I can see what you're saying about Luffy's fight… maybe I should draw it in comic form _ anyways, we'll have to see what becomes of Zoro for next time I suppose ^_^

The Strike Freedom- thanks! I hope you could wait


	43. Vengeance

Kitty-bandit! I'm so sorry I didn't get the chapter out in time! I hope you can read this before your trip T_T

-Nami-

"Oh you've GOT to be kidding me" Nami said as she looked up at her enormous green opponent. "You're a friggin EEL! Of all the rotten..."

The shadow of the large guard fell over her and a shiver of fear vibrated in her gut. Not only was the creature huge and powerful, it was immune to her main attacks and could dodge bullets.

The feeling of intimidation was short lived and quickly replaced with adrenaline when the guard shot forward, swinging a monstrous arm in its wake. Nami brought her clima-tact up and dropped to her back to avoid the huge fist of the zoan. She barely avoided his trampling feet and he skidded a few feet further before swiftly turning and leaping into the air, a flicker of bright electricity emitting from his body. The navigator was in battle mode, her eyes narrowed and focused as she swung her weapon around and re-conducted the flash of the shockwave, sending a cracking and popping bolt of light ricocheting from the clima-tact.

The guard didn't slow, quickly shifting back to his original form of attack. Nami narrowly dodged again as he crashed down into the earth, sending splinters of bark and clumps of dirt flying in every direction.

Scrambling to avoid a fatal blow, Nami quickly finished forming another storm cloud and sent another bolt down on her opponent. This seemed to agitate him and he hissed as he swung another long arm back behind him where the ginger-haired girl was crouched. She brought up her weapon to block the attack but the blow was so powerful that it sent her flying farther into the woods.

Slamming into a mossy boulder, Nami felt her head spin but scrambled back to her feet knowing that one disoriented moment could mean death. As if to emphasize this point, the second she got her footing she had to duck under a bone-shattering blow as the 3rd guard slammed into the rock. Slabs of stone were sent flying and the green giant shook the debris from his head, refocusing on his target.

They had come to an opening in the woods that was filled with scattered boulders and miniature cliffs, all covered with wet moss and vines. Nami considered using the attack she had used in Alabasta but couldn't imagine it working on such a large opponent so she decided against it, sprinting away instead. Her best chance was to find a hiding spot somewhere but she didn't really know how she would escape his sight to do so.

Taking a sharp turn behind a pale slab of rock, she searched for a good place to conceal herself. To her surprise, the terrain under her feet became pale limestone and her path lead to a drop off of several feet. Growling, she skidded to the edge and turned to face her pursuer who crashed around the corner and charged at her. Once again she managed to block his powerful attack with her clima-tact but it sent her over the edge of the small cliff.

Ignoring the danger of the height she was about to fall from, her focus remained on the guard as he followed her off of the overhang, sparking with electricity once more. The explosion of light was almost too quick to read, but she managed to deflect it once more. The light cut between the two opponents and Nami was momentarily blinded. She barely had time to squint her eyes open when the monster's enormous head cut through the glowing bolt of electricity and his huge fist shoved into her gut, slamming her violently into the earth below.

Nami couldn't catch her breath to scream but gazed up at the guard as she saw him charging another electrical attack on his now defenseless victim. Her breaths were ragged and pained and her vision blurred as she prepared for the final strike.

It didn't come.

Just as the huge man-eel reached full-charge, he was struck by something that sent him slamming into the side of the limestone cliff and tumbling down to the earth a few feet from her.

Struggling to regain her breath and to sit up, Nami looked over to see that a huge knife was lodged in the guard's neck, causing blood to gush from the blubbery flesh.

"Well isn't that interesting" she heard a voice say. She recognized the voice and turned her head to see Canaan standing a few yards off, armed with two more blades.

"So you can dodge bullets but not knives… very interesting" he continued, walking toward to two of them with a slight limp. Keeping an eye on the guard, he stepped in front of Nami and brought a dagger up.

"You ok there Nami?"

"How did you get here?" she asked with a cough, ignoring his question.

"You guys left quite a trail so it wasn't so hard to find."

"Yeah, but you were half-dead when we found you."

"It's amazing what fresh air and sunshine can do to a person" he responded with a smile.

The Eel-man hissed and charged up another bolt of electricity, glowing as he did so. The second before he shot it off, Nami shoved Canaan aside and swung her clima-tact to catch the glowing streak of light and deflect it.

Immediately, the guard dashed forward and Nami attempted to jump to the side but instead she felt her knees buckle and another coughing fit take hold of her.

Canaan grabbed her and yanked her away from the huge beast's jaws, leaping into the air as soon as she was out of harm's way. Twisting in mid air, he sent another blade spiraling for the guard from above. It lodged firmly into the eel-man's back, causing him to roar with rage and jump at his assailant.

Nami tried to help double-team the guard but, struggling to get up, she realized that she had blood stains on her shirt and pants. Wiping her chin, she acknowledged that she had been coughing it up and grimly understood that the creature's last attack had done some serious damage.

As if acknowledging this, Canaan (after dodging the mid-air swipe the creature had countered with) dashed back towards the battlefield, leading the 3rd guard away from the navigator.

Clutching her stomach in pain, Nami struggled forward, slowly following the two. She wondered why Canaan's knives had managed to hit the eel-man when the bullets couldn't.

- Canaan -

It had been on a whim that Canaan had tried the blades on the guard. He had heard somewhere that eels had an excellent sense of smell and wondered if the blast of gunpowder was traceable enough for the man to figure out where the shots were coming from.

Glad that he had reached the battle before Luffy's navigator had been mortally wounded, his first thought was to even the playing field a bit, running back to the rocky slope where he knew his men were.

Behind him was the intimidating sound of the monstrous guard plowing down trees and boulders alike. His heart raced with unconscious panic as he heard his pursuer close in on him.

Fortunately for him, he knew these woods like the back of his hand, managing to out-maneuver the huge beast behind him. Slipping into a narrow trail he saw the glow of the battlefield through the shrubbery, the hot sun reflecting off of the pale-red rocks.

There was a glow behind him and he realized in fear that the guard was powering up another electric bolt. To his relief, the streaks of light shot out but landed on the trees surrounding him, sending splinters of wood into his face. Ignoring the debris, he exploded out of the brush into the clearing, calling out his men as he saw them.

"Caleb! Sam! Rud! Aaron! Jason! Get your blades! This guy can't dodge our knives! Get in formation blue!"

As weak as he was from his torment in the base, he was battle-ready and confident in his men. Though Jason was still recovering from his injury of the morning, he had jumped into the fight and was nearby when Canaan had burst through the foliage, followed by the rampaging guard.

"What the heck is that!" Aaron exclaimed as he ran parallel with Canaan, ready to take action as he had been trained to do.

"Some eel-type Zoan!" Canaan rasped back, dodging a few scattered commanders, who turned just in time to see the guard plowing his way right for the elite.

Only a few feet ahead of his attacker, Canaan motioned at Sam, a young blond marine who had been under his leadership for the last few years. The small private leapt forward, armed with two thin blades, and ran head-on toward the two men charging through the crowd. Jumping with impressive agility, he flew over Canaan, who ducked and rolled, giving his back as a make-shift springboard for the young marine. Without a second thought, Sam shot straight for the massive opponent before him.

Acknowledging the man blocking him from his target, guard 3 brought forward a massive arm to swipe him out of his path. However, despite the inevitable blow he was about to receive, Sam's eyes didn't waver.

An instant before his massive hand made contact with the young blond, it was struck from the side with a massive blade that had been sent flying from another marine beside them. He was deferred from his attack just long enough for the oncoming marine to fly past his long arm and over his head.

Flipping the two blades with skill, Sam pierced down into top of the monster's head and into its shoulder. The creature screeched in rage, writhing against the painful intrusions in his flesh. The only reason he hadn't died from the head injury was due to the thick layer of blubber that covered his entire body.

Sam narrowly avoided the man's counter attack, rolling away on the other side and continuing in a sprint.

Enraged, the guard turned to counterattack but was met with another series of painful blades embedding into his thick flesh. He saw them then, the six marines that were encircling him that stood out from the chaos and crowd of the rest of the battle. Had the marine that interrupted him in the woods planned this from the beginning? But how?

The six marines were evenly spread out aside from the one who was supporting Canaan.

The guard growled with annoyance; he was hurt but in no way was he hurt enough not to take them all down. Regaining his composure, he began to build up another charge of electricity. Suddenly, the knives that were lodged throughout his body became alive in him, sending an unusually painful shock of electricity shooting deep in his system. Roaring with frustration, he would not be deferred and with a burst of power he sent a number of lightning bolts bursting from his body. Some of the streaks sent rocks flying into the air, while some hit their targets. Three of the six marines screamed out as they were hit, leaving Canaan, Jason and Caleb.

Nami had made her way back to the edge of the forest, finally able to see where her lost opponent had gone. She arrived just in time to see the guard send out the powerful attack and realized, with alarm, that the group of marines were in serious danger. She didn't doubt their combat abilities, but with an all-out attack like the one he had, she knew the battle needed to be finished quickly, and she couldn't defend them all.

Unable to think of any plans, she decided she had to charge out into there and give it her best shot. Before she could make it out to the battlefield however, one of her legs fell through the mossy terrain below her, causing her to fall forward and catch herself on her hands, one leg stuck in the unseen hole. Looking down she realized that the only reason she hadn't fallen into the large hole was due to her light weight. The moss and vines had covered it up to the point where it was, for the most part, undetectable.

The perfect natural trap.

She thought quickly as she recalled how the beast had reacted to its own electric shock according to where the knives were lodged. This gave her an idea.

To get Canaan's attention she began to shoot electric balls into the air, then began to shout.

From the angle they were at, she was in the marine's line of sight with the guard turned away from her.

He quickly picked up on her intentions and motioned something to Jason and the other marine. The two immediately reacted, dashing away from each other and heading in her direction. Trusting that they could lead the guard her way, she began to form an enormous storm cloud over the trap, pulling her stuck leg out of the hole.

When she was securely out, she looked up to see how far the others had progressed. She felt her heart rate pick up as she saw that the marines had made excellent time and that the guard was now only a few yards away.

Yelling and throwing rocks at the guard she tried to get his attention off of the marines and onto herself. She grew worried when that didn't work and he lashed out at Jason who barely missed a fatal blow by slipping backwards. The beast didn't slow as he swung another arm around to finish the job. Suddenly, Canaan was there and he latched onto the arm in mid swing, being swung with it more-or-less, but slowing it down enough to allow Jason a chance to dodge to the side.

Relieved, Nami stumbled forward, trying to think of a way to really tick the guard off.

"Nami! Catch!"

The voice had come from the edge of the woods and she turned to see Paul tossing a large pistol towards her. He looked very much in pain and she assumed he had crawled to that spot considering the dirt and tears on his pants and sleeves.

Catching the gun by its bulk, she brought it around and quickly began firing it in the monster's direction, seeing that Canaan had managed to escape from the beast's arm. Despite the distraction of the ever-nagging marines around him, the guard still managed to dodge the bullets, but not without his attention being drawn to their source.

Sorting through her mind of anything that would draw him over to her, to leave his current opponents and rush head-on towards her.

"I HAVE THE SEASTONE CAPSULES!" She shouted. "Your boss isn't going to be too happy when he finds out someone else got the magic juice!"

That caught his attention and he turned his head violently around looking directly at her. His massive green body was covered with the hilts of dozens of daggers causing long dark streams of blood to stain his skin. He was truly menacing as he eyed her like a predator that had spotted a prize catch.

His gaze sent chills down her spine but she didn't falter, taunting him with her own gaze.

Shifting his focus from the marines to the pirate, the guard charged directly at her.

Nami stepped back to the firm ground on the far side of the camouflaged hole, letting up a silent prayer that her plan would work.

Crashing through a few scattered trees that lined the outskirts of the forest, the eel-man stormed right over the nature-made trap, reaching a massive palm forward to grab the girl (now mere feet away) around the waist. His sheer weight did the trick as a thin line of dead trees that had fallen over the cavity gave way under his bulk.

Once the weak spot of the covering caved in, the rest of the mossy lid collapsed in with it, sending its victim dropping down into the darkness. The guard roared in anger as he fell, his hand dropping out of reach of the red-haired navigator.

Nami prepared to send down her final attack when suddenly the monster's head extended, shooting up out of the ravine he had fallen into and coming right for the stunned girl. She was quick to realize that he had transformed entirely into his full-animal form, elongating him greatly, and enough to reach his target.

Before she could react to what he had done, his massive jaws opened and clamped down violently around her waist.

Nami screamed in agony before she was jolted down with the falling monster causing her breath to be yanked out of her lungs. The drop was deep enough to make the impact of the rocky ground bone-shattering even with the guard taking the blunt of the landing. Feeling the scattered teeth jolt across her flesh, the navigator regained her breath and let out a raw yell of agony as her muscular stomach was ripped sideways.

The focus of battle did not stray from her mind however, knowing that if she did not kill her opponent soon she would be nothing but jumbled flesh down in this hole. Her consciousness returning to her original plan she gripped her clima-tact (which, to her relief, she had managed to keep a hold of during the drop) and brought it up to send a final glowing sphere into the nearly-black cloud she had formed overhead. Not taking the time to even think about how badly this final attack would harm her, Nami brought fourth her final blast, praying that the blades in the monster's body would conduct it enough to finish him off.

There was a loud crack heard overhead, then a massive explosion of light crashed down, lighting up the dark hole and searing the rocks below. Excess bolts of lightning struck all around the area, snapping small trees in half and damaging the terrain in their wake. The largest bolt had slammed directly into the two targets below as if it was conscious of its purpose in the battle.

The onslaught of light lasted for a long 4 seconds, but looked to have done more damage than anything could make in hours. Once it had finished, the forest grew hauntingly quiet.

- Zoro-

There was a moment where General Yu felt a great surge of relief and pride at his own craftiness of keeping a gun concealed in his sleeve. He had been so triumphant when he watched the swordsman jolt with the tug of the bullet and as he observed the blood that splashed out of the exit wound. The blood in the front did not gush out, but the amount that was being spilled from the man's chest increased within a few seconds.

The moment was lost however when Zoro hadn't dropped. In fact, he hardly faltered with the impact of the bullet, his eyes remaining cold and bitter.

He began to fire again but before he could reposition his aim the swordsman dashed forward so quickly that his eyes hardly caught the movement before he was practically face to face with the man.

His mind figured out what had happened half a second after it had happened when he looked down to see that his entire right forearm had been severed as cleanly as soft butter. The shock of his surprise amputation distracted him for long enough to not catch the next attack till it had already happened.

The pirate was up against him now, crouched to where his head was below his collar and his body concealing what he had come to realize was the kantana that had lodged into this stomach. His delight at seeing the swordsman's blood spilling from the bullet wound was replaced with the horrible sensation of his own blood spurting out of his back.

Then everything became real. The pain, the understanding that he was going to die, the fact that all of his efforts he had been building up to the last few years were now nothing to him, it all hit him at once.

His eyes were wide with disbelief as he coughed up blood and fell to the ground, writhing and gasping as he did so. Zoro let the man fall away from his kantana, swiping it across the air to clean it, then re-sheathing it, his eyes remaining on his fallen opponent.

Ready to get back to his captain, but not satisfied with taking down the big man's hitchman, Zoro broke eye contact with the dying man and made his way out of the clearing and into the shade of gnarled pine trees as he continued up the mountain.

He did not look back to see the bloody heap of general Yu dragging himself back towards the base.

To be continued…

This chapter is dedicated to Kitty-Bandit, one of my most encouraging reviewers and fellow OP enthusiast the 12th was her birthday and I had fully intended to get this chapter out on that day as a present… but I didn't. Sooo insteaddd…

!PLEASE READ- for every review that includes a "happy birthday" to Kitty-Bandit, I will write a page the day it was posted.

Thank you sooo much for keeping up with the story and being so supportive everyone! I love your reviews and they make writing this story so much fun ^_^

Anna- glad you enjoyed it ^_^ THANKS

avatoa- thank you so much for the review. and yes, cheers for guard pwnage :)

RevealxMemories- thank you, I hope the fic continues to be exciting for you and we'll just have to wait and see what happens to Luffy _

Llaelien- now you know what has happened to Zoro... and sadly, Luffy still isn't quite out of the woods yet. thank you :)

Kitty-bandit- dawwww -^_^- you are soooo kindd! thank you so much for the encouragement! I surely hope this update wasn't too late. If it was... I am sorryy! Getting a chapter out on ur birthday woulda been the least I could do, and I failed -_-' your writing a book? sweet! whats it about? those blasted cats, can't keep their paws off of other peoples things. anyhows, I want to get faster at updating (though i will surely miss your reviews for the next 2 weeks, but hopefully you'll have a lot of updates to come back to). - thanks for the heads up on ur trip. That's so awesome of you to let me know :) have a great vacation!


	44. Self Destruct

- Paul -

The damage of the blast was evident for several feet out from the pit it had struck, leaving charred bark and streaks of misplaced soil spreading out in an uneven pattern. Falling pieces of blackened tree branches and dirt broke the eerie silence as Paul came stumbling forward to see what had become of his new friend. Having no idea what she was up to other than that she was trying to get the guard's attention, he had been taken totally by surprise when the cloud she had been forming created such an explosion of light.

Having seen where she had been dragged down, he ignored the pain of his broken ribs and scrambled to the edge of the crevasse. The first thing he noted was the stench of burnt flesh causing him to bring his hand over his nose and mouth. Not deterred, he looked down to see Nami lying across a large man who was covered with wounds and either unconscious or dead.

They both had burn marks covering their bodies and Nami had a nasty row of tears across her stomach. He knew she was alive from her pained expression and uneven breathing as she lay arched at an awkward angle.

"Nami!" he exclaimed, slipping his body over the ledge and climbing down into the base of the hole. When he finally reached the two figures he concluded that the guard was indeed dead, crawling over him to get to the wounded navigator.

Reaching her side he frowned in concern, gently lifting her head with his hand. She didn't consciously acknowledge his presence as she continued to breath weakly, her breaths coming out more like whimpers as her body struggled unconsciously with the pain. He frowned with concern, quickly trying to think of a way to get her out in his condition. Unable to come up with any easy plan, he decided to just rough it out and carry her over his shoulder.

Closing his eyes to prepare his body for the strain, he lifted her as tenderly as he could and placed her over his left shoulder, balancing his weight by leaning to the right.

Hoping that some of the roots and rocks were sturdy enough to support the two of them after the blast, he latched on to the dirt wall and heaved up with his arms. The tense response his body gave him made him doubt he could even make it half way up the slope, but he ignored his logic and kept climbing, knowing that every second counted if he wanted to keep his precious cargo alive.

He made it several more feet before one of the roots he had taken hold of gave out, pulling large clumps of dirt from the crevasse wall with it. Paul scrambled desperately to get a grip on something sturdy but his balance was completely shot and instead his arm was grasping at the air.

Shutting his eyes tightly and shifting Nami in front of him, he prepared for impact with the burnt ground below. However, to his surprise, his flailing right arm was suddenly gripped by a strong hand and his fall was halted.

Shouting in pain as his injuries were stretched, he held tightly to the ginger-haired girl in his left arm, pulling her tightly to his wounded side. His ribs screamed for relief but he kept his grip for fear that he wouldn't have the strength to grab her if she slipped for any instant.

Looking up he saw that his rescuer had been Sam, who's other hand was being held up by Caleb who was braced up at the rim of the hole. Sam looked like he was struggling to keep his hold, clearly weakened by the attack from earlier, so Paul quickly hauled Nami up to him.

"Take her to a doctor quick, you can let me go."

"But if you fall you'll hurt yourself even more."

"And you can't lift both of us out of here so let's not waste time, she's seriously injured."

Sam looked regretful, but nodded, letting go of his friend and quickly snagging the navigator before Paul dropped back down. Quickly handing her up to Caleb, Sam redirected his attention towards the marine who'd fallen back into the pit.

Without the extra burden to carry, Paul managed to climb back up to his awaiting friend, and soon they all had made it out, leaving the stinking corpse of the guard where it had fallen.

"My gosh" Caleb exclaimed, looking over Nami "this girls got to be ridiculously tough to have all of these injuries and still be kickin'"

"You should see the captain" Canaan said as he limped towards the small group "let's get her to Chopper and Kale quickly, I won't have any of the boy's crew dying on my watch."

- Sky -

As quickly as he could manage Sky scrambled across the rocky cliffs that dropped down into the dark waves of the ocean. He had climbed them several times and hoped that his knowledge of the terrain would give him enough headway to buy more time for the others.

However, Mr. Sideburns and Hatchetman were making impressive progress over the broken terrain. He risked a pause every few feet to fire at them with his rifle, but his blurring vision and unreadable movements from the two commanders kept him from landing any affective shots. So he pressed on, climbing far enough on the black rocks to lose sight of the battlefield, and at that moment Sky felt very alone. A shiver of fear racked his body from the pit of his stomach as he was faced with the reality that he was going to have to face off with these men again, and this time there would be no salvation.

Hating his weakness, Sky growled, leaping over an intimidating crevasse that dropped down thirty feet to breaking waves as the ocean pushed and pulled its mass against the cliffside.

They were right behind him now, only a few feet away and he knew it was only a matter of seconds before they overcame him, so he quickly scanned the terrain to pick a spot that would be to his advantage in a battle.

Picking a small ledge he turned to face his pursuers, his two choice weapons in hand once again.

"Bout time you coward" said Hatchetman as he jumped up to the ledge, followed by Mr. Sideburns.

Sky didn't respond, but tensed with anticipation of an attack.

As expected, Hatchetman was the first to charge, swinging his slick hatchets towards the injured marine.

Sky leaned back just in time to avoid the strike aimed for his head, then twisted his shoulder to dodge an uppercut with the other. Blocking another blow with the butt of his rifle, he leapt back, sending a booted foot into his opponents stomach.

Hatchetman went skidding backwards, gripping his stomach in frustration rather than pain. The giant commander was already in action at that point, having jumped into the air to slam down on the small opponent.

Sky scrambled back just in time as Mr. Sideburns crashed into the ledge; breaking the slick rock beneath them into hundreds of pieces.

Jumping to another ledge before the one under his feet dropped into the oblivion of waves and rocks, Sky prayed that his two attackers would be taken down with the rockslide, but was disappointed when they both grabbed a hold of the jagged wall, gripping the large cracks that ran up the wall of rock.

Seeing that they were vulnerable for attack, Sky swung his rifle up and fired at them, only to be disappointed again when they jumped from the cliff with unnatural ability. The larger commander slammed his massive forearms onto a larger ledge to catch his fall while Hatchetman launched directly at Sky.

This time, Sky ducked down, rolling away and twisting up, his whip in hand. Snapping it up towards the man, he wrapped its tip around the right hand of the commander, yanking it back towards himself. The hatchet fell harmlessly to the side but the man was already bringing his other arm around to counter the attack. To his surprise however, Sky spun his rifle around in his hand, swinging it like a bat right into the side of hatchetman's face. The movement was so swift that the commander didn't have time to land his counter attack, but instead was sent careening into the rocky cliff, hitting it with jarring force.

"Mark!" shouted the large man, leaping up from his hold on the ledge "you alright?"

"Yeah" the guard replied as he stumbled to his feet "but this guy's gonna pay."

Sky stepped back, unhappy that the fight was once again two against one.

Mark flipped his hatchet over to his right hand and grinned in challenge. To Sky's surprise however, it was Mr. Sideburns that charged forward, swinging a massive forearm around. There wasn't much room to avoid it so he leapt up, bringing a palm down on the commander's swinging arm as leverage.

The instant he jumped he realize that he had made a fatal mistake seeing that he had avoided the attack in the only way possible on the narrow cropping of rock, setting himself up for the smaller commander's attack. He should have blocked the massive blow rather than dodging it for now he was totally open and unprepared to defend himself against Mark as the man appeared in front of him, hatchet coming around at blinding speed.

There was no time to do anything.

The head of the weapon lodged deeply into his open side and for a moment there was no pain, just the odd feeling of an alien object piercing his skin. Then a fierce throb of white agony shot through his body and he reeled, dropping his weapons and slamming into the ground with the force of the blow.

He tried to sort through his options, desperate to escape his inevitable fate, but he couldn't distract himself from the pain in his side. Opening his eyes he once again looked up to see the two men standing over him as his breathing became more labored against the pain.

Mark reached down and grabbed him by the neck, lifting him into the air and looking over at the larger man.

"You want to do the honors?" he asked.

"With pleasure" came the deep reply as the giant cracked his knuckles.

Sky struggled against his captor but any movement he made sent spikes of hot pain shooting through his nerves and he realized that the hatched was still lodged in his side.

The blow came from his blindside and landed right on the hatchet. The impact sent him flying over the edge of the cliff and shoved the blade deeper into his battered body.

He didn't remember flying over the open space or landing on the slick rocks below, but was awakened by a splash of water washing over his prone body. All he was conscious of was the excruciating pain he was in and how cold he was. His crimson eye slowly opened but his vision only revealed blurry spots of gray and black.

Somewhere overhead he heard the commanders' voices over the crashing waves around him.

"Do you think that killed him?"

"Probably, but if not he'll be dead soon."

"Should we make sure?"

"I don't think so, but if he is alive he's probably in some serious pain… I think we should find him and put him out of his misery. He was an impressive opponent and I was hired to kill these guys, not let them die long agonizing deaths."

"Agreed."

Sky's heart raced in panic, only wanting to lay there and let himself slip into oblivion, but his survival instincts won over his desire to rest. Wondering if any of his limbs were still working, he found that he could still move his arms.

_Gotta find somewhere to hide_ he thought, trying to refocus his vision and scan the terrain. He knew that there were several caves at the base of these cliffs, but had no idea if he was close enough to one to make use of it.

He could have cried with relief when he discovered when he saw an dark hole only a few feet from where he was lying. Black spots filled his vision when he tried to pull himself up over the jagged rocks and for a moment he lost focus on reality.

His savior was another splash of water of his shivering body and he was brought back to his senses.

He could hear the men coming closer and his panic was enough to find the strength in his arms to drag himself forward.

One foot.

Two feet.

Each inch was agonizing but he was relieved that he could move at all and finally he pulled himself into the small hole. Hoping that the waves would wash away his blood trail, the small marine came to the end of the cavern, his fingers touching black rock.

He was just barely out of sight, but safer than out in the open. Dragging himself up to where his back was supported by the inky wall, he let his head fall limply back and worked to keep breathing. He figured he would probably die there. He couldn't imagine actually getting back to the base in his condition, and the likelihood of anyone searching these caves to find him were slim to none; and that was if the two commanders didn't find him.

The light from outside was fading from his vision and he tried to breathe through the dizzy spell. To keep himself focused, he felt around, trying to assess the extent of his injuries. It was then that he realized he was sitting in more than just rocks and his own blood. There was a thicker substance seeping out of the rocks supporting him and he felt oddly familiar with it.

Where had he felt this before?

For a moment he just sat there dumbfounded, trying to think through the pain that kept jolting through his system.

Lifting some of the thick liquid with his hand, he lazily gazed down at it, letting the light from outside reflect off of the creamy substance. Then it hit him.

Liquid Seastone.

- Robin and Luffy -

Luffy's rapid gasps for air had slowed to weak, but slowed wheezes through the mask. He still showed strong indications of pain, which worried Robin. She was weaker than usual with the gas filling the hallway, but it was only the usual symptoms of seastone, not pain.

She was about to try and carry her captain out herself when she hear Usopp calling for them as he skidded around a corner, followed by flying clown. Not exactly what she had been expecting.

"ROBIN! LUFFY! I'm so glad you guys are alright!" Usopp shouted through exhausted pants since he'd been running at a full sprint since he got away from the blade.

"I'm ok" Robin replied "but we need to get Luffy out of here now. I don't know what's wrong with him but being in this environment isn't helping… who's that?"

"EXCUSE ME!"

"This is Buggy, he was being held here and he helped me get away from the knife that guard shot at me."

"YOU DON'T RECOGNIZE ME?"

"Alright, we'll he can come along if he helps carry Luffy."

"Hey! You can't boss me around!"

"Fine, find your own way out then."

"Why you-!"

They were interrupted by a weak moan from Luffy as his body shivered through a jolt of pain.

"Buggy" Robin said, with a bit more respect in her voice "please. We need to get him out of here as quickly as possible, and I don't know if I can even carry myself."

Buggy blinked with surprise, but seemed pleased with her respectful tone; so with a huff he floated down and picked up the raven-haired boy.

"I'm only helping because I don't know how to get out of here. So which way?"

Robin and Usopp looked at each other. Truth be told they had been relying on Orrin and the other marines to find their way around, but they couldn't let their momentary comrade know that.

"Er-" Usopp spoke up "we'll go back the way we came. Backtrack."

His idea seemed to satisfy the pirate, so nodding, Robin struggled to get to her feet. Usopp rushed to her side and took her arm over his shoulder.

"You do remember where we came through right?" he whispered in her ear.

To his relief, she nodded.

"Hey guys" Buggy spoke up "I think Mugiwara's waking up."

Rushing to his side, Robin and Usopp looked down on their captain as his glazed eyes made their way open, wandering from the ceiling to their faces. The mask covered his nose and mouth, but relief still was shown clearly in his eyes.

He tried to speak but coughed up into the mask. Quickly Robin removed it, allowing the boy to cough up the blood in his throat into the floor. The two crewmates looked down at him with dread and worry, hating to see their captain suffering.

Cleaning out the blood from the mask, Robin returned it to his face after he got over his coughing fit.

"Don't talk captain, we're fine and we're getting you out of here."

Luffy nodded, then turned his gaze to the pirate holding him, his eyebrow cocking in confusion.

"Yeah Mugiwara, your crewmate got me out… and don't go thinking anything of this! As soon as I get out of here I'm gonna kick your butt."

Luffy's eyes only reflected gratitude, which flustered the clown.

"Well what're we sitting around for! Let's get out of here. A few more minutes in this Hellish base and I'm gonna by sprawled out like your woman over there! This gas is getting to me."

With that, Usopp helped Robin to her feet and they started to run down the hallway, back the way they had come.

They had been running for several minutes when a new alarm started to blare through the base; this one louder than any of the others and the entire corridor was filled with flashing blue lights.

"What the heck!" Buggy shouted in alarm.

"Whatever it is we need to get the heck out of here" Usopp yelled over the noise. So the small group continued to charge through the base, not hearing the sound of slamming doors behind them that was masked by the loud blare of the alarm system.

- General Yu -

Driven by his bitterness and his desire to avenge himself, Yu had dragged himself back to the base, making his way into the center control room. It was abandoned, as was most of the prison, but he knew that Straw Hat's crew had been in there, and probably hadn't gotten out yet. That left him a small window of time to get his revenge before he bled to death.

Using his only arm, he pulled himself up to the main computer, logging in and typing in a set of codes till on the screen showed a final question.

"Are you sure you want to start the termination sequence?"

Feeling his endurance coming to an end, he clicked yes without a second thought.

The alarm started to blare and he smiled as he slipped to the ground, dying in an every growing pool of his own blood.

- Luffy, Usopp, Robin, and Buggy -

Robin figured that they would be out of the base in ten minutes, but the blaring alarm was making her tense with worry. She wanted to know what it meant.

Then, as if to answer her own doubts, a monotone voice sounded out over the constant blare of the alarm.

"Attention. If anyone has not exited the building, you have five minutes before lockdown. Self destruction sequence will take place immediately after lockdown. I repeat, if anyone has not exited the building, you have five minutes before lockdown. Self destruction sequence will take place immediately after lockdown."

Everyone but Luffy looked at each other in horror. Without a word they broke out into a full-on sprint.

TBC…

Your reviews have really kept me writing. So thank you guys for all of the support.

The first page was for RedRuby The second to Kitty-bandit who wished herself a happy B-day XD The third goes to WezL (one of my most favoritest reviewers) annndd the final page goes to SUP (who reviewed a week or two after I posted, but sparked me up to keep writing when I wasn't getting any reviews to motivate me, so thanks.)

Also- thanks to x3Arumixlzumix3 who came do my deviantart account and reminded me to update. That was awesome. ^_^

Speaking of which, I have several illustrations for this fic on my DA account if you want to take a look. I'm Zinfer, come by and visit

Well, things are looking grim for just about everyone now. I'm really looking forward to the climax XD Thank you all soooo much for the encouragement for all this time. Once again, I'm sorry for the wait. But the good news is that I finished my other fanfiction so I can focus all of my attention to this one now! ^_^ yay!

The Strike Freedom- good! I hope it continues to do so ^_^thanks!

RedRuby- He was very bitter, and I'm sooo glad he was in character (because that's really what makes the manga/anime so great).

Avatoa- thank you ^_^ he did deserve it. I hope you enjoy the rest of the fic

Kitty-bandit- I am soooo happy that my fic brings you joy! I hope it continues to do so! The book sounds cool by the way ^_^ and lol to you wishing yourself happy birthday ^_^ Sorry for the short reply, I'm being rushed to leave and I wanted to post this really quick. Thanks again for keeping me going!

Llaelien- Thank you! This chapter got a little ways with Robin and Luffy, but there's a lot more coming so sit tight Your English is great! I don't know any other languages so if you know another one I'm already impressed.

Anna- thanks! ^_^ well, I didn't answer much with Luffy, but all will be revealed as the story comes to a close! I hope you enjoy the rest!

WezL- I'm so glad you liked it I love that side of Zoro so I wanted to give him the vengeance scene. I hope this update didn't take too long.

SUP- As I said above, your review really lead to the update. I was kinda sad cause I wasn't getting any reviews, then you came and boosted my spirits enough to write Thank you so much! I hope I got this chapter out soon enough for you to read it before your vacation. Do enjoy the rest of the fic ^_^


	45. Closed In

- Orrin and Alvida -

Orrin and Alvida had been finishing up when the alarm started to blare, and before the voice rang out through the hallways they both knew what it meant, sharing the look the three pirates had expressed.

"We have to get out of here now!" Orrin said, grabbing Alvida and charging out the door, but even as they ran he felt his gut twist in dread, knowing that they were fairly deep inside the base and getting out before the lockdown was physically impossible.

"Orrin, we're not going to make it" Alvida gasped, still very weak from the gas and her experience with Dr. Akins. Her voice was coated with despair and panic, and when he turned to look at her he saw that tears were forming in her too-wide eyes, her eyebrows creased in what looked like apology. He realized that she was blaming herself for their situation; for his death.

"We have to try!"

Suddenly, Alvida dug her heels into the dirty floor, causing Orrin to stumble and look back impatiently.

"Orrin!" she said, looking at him earnestly "you don't get it!"

"I get that we have to get out of here before this place blows!"

"No! We can't! This place doesn't just blow up! It implodes on himself! This seastone volcano is set up to blow at any minute, and what's keeping it at bay is the constant emissions this whole base leeks out from its vents. Once those vents are sealed off the volcano builds up. That's why there's a lockdown, the seastone will flood these hallways, stopped by multi-plated doors that seal off every exit in this place!"

Orrin blinked in surprise, only knowing his way around the base and not the technical workings of the system.

"So we'll probably get swamped in this seastone lava before we get close to any exit" he said, hating the hopeless tone in his voice.

"Yeah" she replied, her eyes finally releasing the tears that had welled up on her lower lids.

Taking her hand again, Orrin forced himself to calm down.

"Well, I'd rather die trying to get out of here than sitting down, wallowing in my own despair."

Alvida looked up at him, her expression grateful but sad.

"Alright, let's go."

- Sky -

The feeling of the seastone on his body was oddly nostalgic, though he was surprised that it didn't burn like it had back during the eruption. It was almost soothing. Looking down, he slowly let it pool in his hand, the creamy metallic liquid resting painlessly on his skin.

He wondered how it was that it felt good rather than like acid when he let it flow down his arm, lazily playing with the cool lava. He felt familiar with the material for some reason, like it was a part of him and he figured it was due to his blood-loss and dizzyheadedness, but there was a feeling about it that he couldn't shake.

For a moment he was distracted by the sounds of footsteps outside and the voices of the two commanders. Sky held his breath and tried to focus on the opening, not knowing what he would do if the men happened to find him inside.

His fears were became reality when Mr. Sideburns voice rumbled out only a few feet from his hiding spot.

"I'm pretty sure he fell around here, I guess he still had some energy left cause I don't see him nearby."

"Maybe he crawled into one these caves."

"Perhaps, let's take a look."

Sky hated to feel panic rise in his stomach again, and a part of him also hated his drive to live when his body really wanted to just shut down. Still, he tried to lift himself up and conceal himself better in the shadows.

Willing his arms to work, he went to pull them up and they shakily obeyed. What surprised him, however, was that the pool of seastone prisma moved up with his own appendages. He blinked in disbelief as the creamy liquid fell back into the puddle, sounding a rippling plunk.

"What the-?"

Had the seastone responded to him willing his arms up? Surely he was seeing things.

But still, he had to hold on to whatever hope he could find, even if it was imaginary. Focusing on the seastone magma this time, Sky willed it to rise up.

His eyes widened in disbelief as the liquid obeyed, rising up a few inches.

Ignoring his doubts of his sanity, Sky grew more confident; this time willing the whole puddle to flow forward.

At first it was just a ripple, but as he narrowed his focus, the pool obeyed, flowing like a wave towards the light at the end of the small cave. Not knowing how it happened, but not really caring, Sky decided to try and let the seastone carry him outside and to face off against his two opponents. His body wasn't working, but now he had an alternative, and he knew that it burned anyone it touched, as it had done to him when he was younger.

Closing his eyes and feeling the liquid around him, he focused all his willpower into the seastone lifting him up and flowing out into the sunlight. He had no reason to think that it wouldn't work, but the feeling of being moved by liquid with his own mind was surreal and for a moment he was giddy with excitement over the idea.

A few seconds before he got to the opening, Mark had peered his head down to look in, only to be shocked when a flood of seastone prism came bursting out into his face.

"ARGG! What the heck!" he screamed, grabbing his face as the acidic lava spilled over his skin. Sky didn't hesitate to dump another wave of the seastone over the commander's body, causing the man to yell out and fall backwards, writhing to get the burning liquid off of himself.

"Mark!" roared the large commander from a few feet away, alarmed by the unexpected threat before him as Sky raised himself to a standing position with the flow of seastone prism under his control.

"How are you doing that?" he exclaimed in shock, not knowing what his next move should be.

The marine only glared at him, these men were going to kill more of his friends and had almost killed him. Taking them out was his first priority, then maybe later he would figure out how and why he had the ability to control the seastone.

Lifting a funnel of the metallic liquid up from behind him, he willed it to shoot towards the large man gaping at him. Mr. Sideburns was quick to react despite the shock of the whole situation, jumping to the side and charging the grey-haired boy at breathtaking speed.

The acidic liquid fell harmlessly where the commander had just been, but the adrenaline kept Sky on alert as his opponent swung at him, willing the seastone to pull him backwards and up, out of range from the massive arms that would surely have killed him had they landed the blow.

Closing his eyes in concentration, he focused on lifting the entire flood of seastone covering the ledge. The frustrated yells of Mr. Sideburns made him look down to see what damage he had done. He was disappointed with the amount he had managed to conjure up, but please to see that he had at least given the giant man a heavy dosage of milky seastone.

Feeling the presence of an attacker near him, Sky looked back just in time to see a seastone-coated Hatchetman flying down at him from a ledge above. Quickly jerking his liquid support-pillar back, Sky decided to try something creative. Willing a narrow pole of concentrated seastone prism to shoot out of his supply of the cool magma, he focused on it hardening and shot it at Mark, who was still in mid-attack. It worked perfectly, sending the yelling man flying over the final ledges of black rock and into the dark ocean below.

_One down, one more to go._

"MARK!" yelled the monstrous man below him, before his angry eyes turned back toward the marine overhead.

"I'll kill you" the man growled, crouching for an attack.

For the first time since the battle had begun, Sky was not afraid of the commander before him. The seastone gave him a sense of comfort and confidence, however, he knew he needed to end the battle soon before he passed out. The blood from his gaping wounds spilled down into the hovering magma, reminding him that he was barely alive.

Raising himself higher with his makeshift lift, Sky tried again at lifting the remaining seastone below, intending to send the man flying after his friend to join him in the hungry ocean.

Mr. Sideburns leapt up onto the wall of black rock before the marine could take his intended action, scrambling up it at a speed that didn't seem possible considering his size. Sky wavered in the open air, trying to focus on where his opponent was going to attack but his blurring vision hindering his ability to do so.

Before he managed a shot at the man, the commander launched at him from where he was climbing and sky went to make his liquid staff as he had done previously, but he was too late. The massive man wrapped his arms around the injured marine, putting him in a tight hold.

Sky screamed as the pressure on his wounds increased to an unbearable amount, desperate to escape the commander's ever tightening bear hug.

It was desperation that saved him, as he took his supporting pillar of seastone prism and drowned the two of them with it. The acidic liquid flooded the giant guard's eyes and mouth as the man screamed and writhed to escape, dropping his captive in the process.

Those were the last sounds Sky heard before darkness and silence overtook him.

- Chopper and Dr. Kale -

Chopper had never been so overwhelmed in his life as marine after marine was brought to his make-shift outdoor hospital. The battle had been brutal and he hated not to give each man more attention like he usually could with his small crew. He was grateful for Dr. Kale who never slowed and proved to be a reliable assistant as dozen upon dozen marines were hauled in sporting wounds of every kind.

The skill of the little reindeer impressed every nurse and assistant assigned to care for the men, seeing him save the lives of many men they would have normally considered lost causes. He seemed to have gotten into a pattern, sorting through the assembly-line of injured marines at an impressive pace.

That was until a ginger-haired girl was carried in.

"Nami!" the little doctor squeaked in worry, rushing over to her side.

- Luffy, Robin, Usopp, and Buggy -

All four of the escapees heard the eerie rush of liquid behind them, along with the sound of breaking glass as whatever lights behind them were busted out, leaving their trail dark and the source of the sound a mystery. It was still quite a ways off but enough to make the pirates run like the devil himself was at their heels.

Their lungs burned and screamed for relief but they all knew that one stumble would be the end of them, even though they couldn't see what exactly was pursuing them or how much time they had till the doors were closed. Despite his advantage of being able to fly, Buggy was slowing and flying lower to the ground than before, the toxins of the base getting to him and even as they turned the final corner that led to the outside, they knew that they would not be able to make it in time. The door was already closing, its heavy metal plating slowly blocking the light from outside.

Robin thought quickly, looking to Buggy as he carried her captain who seemed to have grown more aware of the severity of the situation. He was trying to stretch his arm back and shoot it at the door to catapult them all forward but his body was clearly not functioning.

Usopp continued to carry her, despite the fact that without her he might have a chance of making it in time, but with his loyalty to her and the fact that the three of them were devilfruit users in an environment designed to slow devilfruit users down, there was no way they would make it to the door before it closed.

Coming to a quick conclusion, Robin gasped to the pirate barely flying at their running pace.

"Buggy! Take Luffy's mask! It vents out the seastone gas' toxins! If you can fly out of here with our captain we'll throw your feet out with you!"

The clown looked at her in surprise, but didn't hesitate to do as she said, the light fading ahead a constant reminder to the urgency of the situation. Luffy's reaction was what the historian had expected as he struggled against the pirate holding him, gasping to voice his opposition to the idea.

However, Buggy was not to be stopped, fully determined to get out of the base alive and with his feet, he snatched the mask from the writhing boy's face and placed it over his own.

The uncontaminated air immediately gave him a burst of energy as he picked up his pace but stayed close to the ground so he could slip through the small opening the door provided as it closed down.

Ussop and Robin continued to run with everything they had left in them but they both knew it was too late. The marksman was anything but brave, but it would have been easier to accept his fate had he not been forced to hear his captain's choked screams as he left them behind. It would have been easier if he hadn't seen a desperate arm try to stretch back to them, only to come short by several yard.

A part of him was glad that Luffy couldn't reach them. He wouldn't have taken his friend's hand anyway, for adding their weight to the flying pirate would have slowed them down too much to make the escape.

"Usssooooppp! -*gasp* *cough* "Robiiiiinnnn! No! *gag* Leave me with them! Dang it Buggy put me down! Take them! Take them! *cough-gag*"

Usopp couldn't stop the tears from pouring out of his eyes as he watched the small ray of light shrink before him, and to his surprise he felt tears falling on his arm, realizing they belonged to Robin.

Just as the small opening was about to close, the flying pirate and his cargo slipped out, his feet being thrown by one of the two crewmates that had been left behind.

The huge door slammed shut as the two captains skidded to a stop on the sun-baked earth. Immediately Luffy scrambled back to where he had came, slamming his fists into the iron doors over and over, but was too weak to even leave a dent on the hard material. He continued to pound and shout till his fists had as much blood on them as his chin and neck from his coughing up and vomiting.

"USOPP! ROBIIIN!"

"NOOOOOOOO!"

TBC…

Your reviews got me pumped up, and I'm on a One Piece high right now so I couldn't help myself.

Dun Dun Dun, and the plot thickens. I had responsibilities to do so of course I wrote my fanfiction instead. How bout this for a quick update yeah!

Sess18- hey thanks ^_^ I think this is pretty soon

Llaelien- thanks I hope you continue to enjoy the story. More in store for Luffy soon ;)

Ericapeace1- yay! Thanks -^_^- I am so thankful for your review and am super motivated to keep writing

Avatoa- I hope you still enjoy the rest of the story, I hope my plans with the self-destruction sequence are more original than the general concept. And thanks for the review

Tare-chan- Yay! And here's another chapter for ya ^_^ do enjoy. Zoro thought Yu was dead, that's why. thank you soooo much for the review! I hope you enjoy the rest of the fic!

EALM528- oh heck no! I hate torturing my fav character Luffy _ clearly… yay! I love 4 as well! I can't believe how many chapters I've put into this O_O but the end is in sight. Oh, Sanji is coming. I have plans for him (hehehehehehe) and LOL to your happy bday comment! That might be what got me to update so soon. So let's just say this chapter's for you ^_^ and a happy b-day to you! My sister's B-day was today so here's a little b-day gift from me- do enjoy

SUP- I hope you get to read this chapter before you leave though u just read the last chapter tonight ^_^ OH MY GOSH! THE HOSPITAL! O_O are you ok! I hope this chapter helps you feel better :) you have really encouraged me and made me excited about my fic. thank you so much. do enjoy the rest of the fic ^_^


	46. How to Stop a Volcano

- Sky -

Once again, it was a spray of water that awakened the unconscious marine. For several minutes he lay there, not even grasping where he was or what he needed to do. More water rushed over him and slowly he came to the conclusion that the tide was coming in.

At first he was annoyed that the waves were coming more often and covering more ground, but soon he started to remember why he was there. Unable to move, he looked around, salt water splashing into his eyes every few seconds to add to his ever blurring vision. He saw the large figure of Mr. Sideburns lying a few feet away from him, unmoving.

_Guess this means I won..._

For a moment he considered staying there, but once again his desire to live and concern for his comrades pushed him to move, or at least try to.

Remembering his newly discovered abilities, he focused in on whatever seastone he could see around him, which wasn't very hard for it seemed that the cave he had crawled out of was spewing a flood of seastone out of it. Taking a deep breath he willed it to flow under him like a wave. However, now that the adrenaline of battle was gone and he was weaker than before, even moving the seastone was becoming too much for him. Rather than narrowing his control down to a specific motion, he simply tried to splash himself up higher on the rocks to the next ledge.

Each wave of seastone heaved him several feet and it took all of his power to bring his arms up and grab on to the slabs of black jagged rock that lined the cliffs. The respite he had gotten just from lying unconscious for a while seemed to have helped a bit, but the new actions he was taking were quickly draining whatever energy he had built up.

Yet he had to keep going, so time and time again he willed the seastone prism to lift him higher and higher until he was out of range of the waves and almost in sight of the battlefield again. It was this hope of reaching his comrades that gave him the strength to continue climbing from ledge to ledge.

Dragging himself back to the brown earth and looking up to see that the marines had taken the upper-hand, finishing off the last of the commanders. It was then that he was able to smile and close his eyes, allowing himself to drift back into pleasant unconsciousness.

- Luffy -

"Somebody help me!"

Luffy was clawing at the door and looking around desperately for anyone who could help him open it. Whatever was flooding the hallways behind them would be there any second, drowning his precious crewmates with it; his crewmates who had come back for him, who had already fought so hard for his freedom. If they died, their blood would be on his hands, and there was no nightmare he could imagine that was worse than that.

"Please! Somebody-"

"Luffy? What's wrong?"

It was Canaan, and had the situation been any different Luffy would been overjoyed to see his new friend out of the prison and safe, but his emotions were on a rampage of panic and guilt.

"Usopp and Robin are still in there! The place is gonna blow any second and they're in there!"

Canaan looked at the raven-haired boy in shock, feeling the despair of the situation flood his own heart. He had no idea why the base was suddenly going to explode and he had no idea how to help. He rushed over to the security box but frowned, not knowing the security code; however, he doubted that it mattered now.

"I heard Luffy shouting! What's going on!"

It was Jason, he had come running from the crowd soon after Canaan had and looked concerned.

"Jason! You snuck into this base earlier, do you know if you can open this door?"

Jason looked confused at the urgency in which Canaan was speaking but rushed over to the security box; he had heard the others discuss the way the code worked and typed in the digits that should have opened the doors.

"It's not working" he said, looking over at the elite.

"I thought that would be the case" Canaan replied regretfully "Luffy says it's going to self-destruct. Do you know any way we could stop it? His crewmates are still inside."

"What! Dang, I dunno."

"There's- there was this liquid flowing behind us" Luffy broke in, trying to think of anything that would give someone an idea of how to stop it, "it seemed to be flooding the hallways."

Jason looked at him sternly, thinking fast.

"When we snuck in earlier, Orrin and I got sucked through the air-ducts into an open domed area, and I think that it was the interior of the mountain. It was filled with liquid seastone and I figure that they were regulating the gas emissions with the technology developed in the base. I'd make a guess that with the place sealing off all the exits, that the flooding liquid is actually the seastone magma that is being released into the interior of the prison."

Canaan blinked at him, surprised at the quick thinking on the marine's part, but it made sense. There was no reason for the place to be rigged with explosive devices when the volcano itself could do all the work.

"But how can we stop it!" Luffy yelled, panicking as the seconds ticked on. "How do we stop the volcano!"

Everyone was silent as they all racked their brains for a way to stop the volcano from erupting, but it had practically already done so. It would take a miracle to prevent the base from self-destructing.

From a distance a marine could be heard arguing with another man as they came closer to the doorway.

"Seriously, where you need to be going is the medical ward. Sky, you're seriously injured, if not fatally, there's nothing you can do here."

Hearing his friend's name, Canaan turned to see a marine carrying the grey-haired boy towards them. He assumed Sky had heard Luffy yell and was coming to see what was going on. The boy was in terrible shape however, bleeding from a gruesome wound in his side and barely holding his head up. It looked like Sky was firm on going where he wanted, for the man carrying him, despite his arguments, continued to take him their way.

When the two reached them, Canaan took Sky from the marine.

"What the heck are you thinking?" he demanded, glaring at Sky for his stupidity.

"It *pant* it sounded like there was – there was trouble."

"And you were going to do what about it?"

"I dunno, tell me what the trouble is and I'll tell ya."

- Orrin and Alvida -

The seastone magma was upon them shortly after they had starting running, flowing into the hallway faster than they could carry themselves on their feet.

Realizing that they wouldn't be able to outrun the pursuing flood, Orrin yanked Alvida into a side-room and slammed the door behind them. He knew that the doors could hold off the liquid for a time, be it that closing that door was also sealing off their last chance of escape. Once the eruption had passed the magma would cool and harden into the actual sea stone it was so famous for.

Unless they had happened to run into a pantry, they wouldn't last very long inside.

Panting for breath, the two of them plopped down to the ground, forgetting their situation and appreciating the respite. The sound of the liquid seastone gurgled past the door and the lights went out, leaving them sitting in the dark.

"You know" Alvida panted "if you hadn't been here with me, I would have thought this an ironic justice in a way."

"What?"

"After all I did to that boy, in the end I get killed by the very tool I used to torment him all this time… I just hope he got out of here before this happened."

Orrin scooted over to her, wrapping her in his arms. He couldn't see, but he knew she was crying. This was the childhood friend he had lost those many years ago. How long had it been since she cried for someone else; since she cried in regret for what she had done.

To his surprise he felt tears running down his own cheeks; but these weren't tears of regret, they were tears of… joy? Getting the Alvida back that he loved and breaking her free from the demon she had become had been worth it all in the end.

It had been worth it all.

- Robin and Usopp -

Once the door had shut, Robin and Usopp simply walked the rest of the way. There was no longer any reason to rush, and they were both exhausted. The last bulb at the end of the hallway was their only light left, and the alarm had stopped blaring, leaving the terrifying sound of liquid crashing down the tunnels they had just came from.

The sound of Luffy's screams could be heard through the door and the continuous banging of what could only have been their captain's fists against the metal made Usopp want to yell out for him to stop and to just let them go; but he couldn't find any words to say. He figured any response would only cause his friend more pain so he focused his attention on Robin instead, who leaned heavily against him, breathing heavily as the seastone gas grew thicker and thicker where they were.

"Here" he said, taking off his shirt "try breathing through this, maybe it will help vent out the gas."

Robin smiled weakly at him and took it, covering her nose and mouth with the dirty cloth.

"It's alright" he continued, hugging her closer to himself "Luffy'll figure something out. We just have to hang on till he does. You know he's not the sharpest captain, but he's dependable."

The historian chuckled a bit, removing the shirt from her face and looking at him curiously.

"You're a lot braver than you let on Mr. Usopp."

Almost immediately after she spoke those words, the rush of liquid seastone rang out louder through the corridor, the roar of its flooding destruction echoing into the darkness. Then they saw it, a wall of dark liquid crashing into the small hallway, rushing at them at incredible speed.

"No…" Usopp gasped in horror, realizing they had only seconds left to enjoy their final breaths of life. A protective instinct suddenly kicked in his brain and he twisted to the side, covering his crewmate's body with his own. He knew Robin wouldn't last long in her present state and he had to give them as much time as he could. Squeezing his eyes shut he waited for death.

- Luffy, Sky, Canaan, and Jason -

"Usopp! Robin!" Luffy screamed again, this time conjuring up enough energy to blow up his fist and heave his giant arm into the door. He had heard the seastone prism rushing at them on the other side of the metal barricade and the panic for his friends was maddening.

To his horror, the huge fist merely dented the door slightly, but in no way did the entrance look like it would give to his pounding. The metal had been specially designed to withstand the pressure given off by the volcano's inward eruption so no amount of attacks would be able to crack it.

Gasping for breath, Luffy cringed as another wave of pain jolted his body and he shrunk down into his chibi-sized self, curling into a ball as he dry-heaved again. However, what hurt the most was the sound of the liquid prism finally hitting the door.

"No… no, no…." he gasped, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief. "Where's Zoro? He can cut metal right? Where is he?"

Jason didn't want to look at the heartbroken captain, and definitely didn't want to tell him that Zoro had gone in to rescue him an hour ago and hadn't returned since.

"He's in there isn't he…" Luffy said, his expression growing more desperate and horrified.

Jason looked down at him, feeling the sadness in his own heart for the captain.

"What the heck are you doing Sky?" Canaan yelled as Sky stumbled to the door, shoving his forehead and palms into the metal and squeezing his eyes shut.

"I'm trying to stop the seastone from killing Luffy's friends!"

"What!" Canaan yelled, believing the marine had finally lost it.

Luffy looked over at him in confusion, but with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"I- I don't know how, but I can control the seastone plasma like a devil-fruit user could… maybe it has a ghost of its own that bonded with me, but whatever the case, I might be able to push this stuff back for a little while."

Everyone blinked at him, the revelation of his ability coming as a complete shock.

Panting heavily, Sky focused on pushing back the unbelievable weight of the liquid seastone deeper into the tunnel.

Luffy scrambled to the door and shouted as loud as he could, hoping his crewmates could hear him.

"Usopp! Robin! Are you guys alright!"

- Usopp and Robin -

The seastone had slammed into the two pirates mercilessly, it's acidic consistency burning into Usopp's skin making him want to scream. But he couldn't scream. He couldn't breathe. Soon his lungs were heaving with the need for oxygen but he held out, knowing that swallowing the liquid engulfing him would be excruciating and would definitely kill him.

Then, just as he was about to reach his limit, the burning plasma was pushed back and off of his skin. He gasped painfully like a dying fish, collapsing beside Robin who had passed out. He had no idea what had just happened, and looking over his shoulder, he distinguished a pale wall of liquid inches from them in the darkness.

"What the?"

His confusion was interrupted by his captain's voice from the other side of the door and struggled to pull himself up by his elbows, scooting closer to the door and away from the lingering magma.

"Are you guys alright?" he heard faintly through the metal barricade.

Regaining his breath and putting as much power into his voice he could muster, he yelled back.

"STILL BREATHING CAPTAIN!"

TBC…

Your reviews make this much more fun to write so thank you all so much.

And another chapter done. We are moving right along ^_^ thank you for reading my fic! Do enjoy as we reach the climax together (yayyyy! It's finally here!)

Llaelien- I also love to make the characters suffer XD And indeed, Sanji will be arriving shortly (yay for spoilers) Thank you so much for taking time to review! It really keeps me going ^_^

Tare-chan- I like my cliffhangers ^_^ this one wasn't so bad, but I'm sure I have a lot more coming up soon. I am definitely excited about getting to the end of this fic so I should be updating more often, though in the end my motivation really depends on the support of those reading the story. That makes all the difference :)

EALM528- What gave me away? The fact that there has hardly been a chapter that he wasn't bleeding? yeah, somethings wrong with me -_-' Do enjoy the rest of the fic EALM :) and thank you for all of your support so far.

avatoa- indeed, it is very bad. Thanks for taking the time to review ^_^

Recordatio001- Looking for Luffy whump aye? I do that alot but hardly ever find any. (so I just had to write one myself XD) If you know of any good hurtLuffy fics I'd love to read them? Aside from that, thank you so much for reading and reviewing! *and just a little spoiler, Luffy's not out of the woods yet ;)*

x3Arumixizumix3- thank you again for encouraging me to keep going over there on DA :) I really appreciate it


	47. It's My Job

- Luffy, Sky, Jason, and Canaan -

Luffy could have collapsed in relief at the sound of his marksman's voice. They were still alive. There was still hope.

Sky was breathing heavily though, his blood trickling down his side with each heave of his chest, his fingers stained with it as they pressed firmly against the door. Everyone there knew he wouldn't be able to keep the seastone lava at bay much longer so immediately Canaan started to sort through their options out loud, hoping that something he said might spark someone's imagination.

"Ok ok ok, so the entire base is sealed off… and we can't bust the doors down, and even if we could that would just lead to us all getting hit by that built up liquid prism… then we'd all die. So there has to be a way to stop it… maybe… no… could there be…? … no that wouldn't work either."

Suddenly Jason spoke up. "How about the dome of the volcano? I'd bet you anything the top of that mountain is weaker than these doors. The base might have been designed to keep the eruption in, but maybe the natural structure of the island wasn't."

Once again everyone looked at Jason, surprised at his quick thinking.

"Soooo, maybe we could, I dunno, set up some explosives and blow the top off of the volcano?"

It was a great idea, Canaan knew it. The best they could have asked for but to hated the reality which was that there was not time to find explosives, and definitely no time to set them up and blow the place before Sky lost his strength or passed out.

As if voicing his thoughts Luffy spoke up.

"We don't have time for that!" Then he paused, in deep thought. For a few seconds nobody spoke as the pirate's eyebrows furrowed.

"I'll go up and break the dome" he said finally, determination in his voice.

Everyone looked up, shocked at the conclusion the boy had come to.

"But Luffy" Canaan said "once the dome is broken, all of that seastone magma and gas is going to come shooting out of there like a bomb. If you went up there and busted it in, you would definitely die, be it by the gas exploding out the top, or by falling into the liquid prism below."

"I figured that much" Luffy said matter-of-factly.

"Luffy…"

"It's the best option I've got. Usopp and Robin are in there, as well as Orrin, Alvida, and probably Zoro as well. I have a responsibility to my crew to do everything in my power to let them accomplish their dreams… I'm fortunate to have this option at all so I have to take it."

"What about your dreams?" Jason argued "And how can you expect them to pursue those goals without you to lead them! Your death would crush them!"

Luffy pulled his hat up and placed it on his head, looking up to the hazy mountaintop he was about to head up to. With a final glance back he answered the marine.

"It's selfish I know, but it's also my job."

With that, he shot one of his arms out, latching onto a tree branch and rocketing away from the staring group of marines.

- Chopper and Nami -

Nami had yet to regain consciousness, not that Chopper had expected her to for the next few days. Her injuries were extensive but she was a tough girl and now rested on one of the cots in the marine sleeping quarters.

The number of men being carried in for his medical care was slowly decreasing as the battle came to an end. The marines had won out against the commanders and were celebrating their victory out on the rocky landscape.

Chopper was glad for them but itching to find the rest of his crewmates, Nami being the only one to return since that morning. When Dr. Kale offered to take over while he found his friends, the reindeer almost cried in gratefulness and quickly went running off into the remains of the battlefield.

It was while he was running that he heard Luffy screaming for Usopp and Robin and immediately he began to dash for the entrance of the underground base.

- Zoro -

As weak as he was after his two battles, Zoro still managed to make good time as he struggled up the mountain. He wanted to kill this Mr. Able and be done with this whole place. Most of all he wanted to see his captain safe and sound, but he knew he wouldn't be at peace with himself until the man responsible for his friend's suffering was dead.

Praying that he wouldn't get too lost, he continued on, keeping a sharp eye out for Mr. Able and focusing on even breathing as he struggled to ignore the bullet wound in his chest and the cuts on his body from his fight with the guard.

Just keep climbing up. Keep climbing up.

- Luffy -

Luffy never thought he would love fresh air as much as he did now. Without the seastone gas to hinder his body, he found the strength to jump from tree to tree, keeping a fast pace up on his way to the mountain's peak.

His wounds still ached and the random stabbing pain from earlier continued to shoot through his body. This normally would have worried him, but considering that he was about to die anyway, whatever internal damage he had received over the last few days would hardly matter.

A chill rushed over him at the thought of death. His body was trying to reason with him. Begging him to go back and let bygones be bygones, but his will and love for his nakama overpowered his logic and reasoning. Still, as he sped up the mountainside, his heart began to pump faster with anticipation.

Thinking of all the things he would miss once he was gone, Luffy began to appreciate the feeling of the wind hitting his face and the rough bark brushing the palms of his hands. As he rushed on, he thought back to how full his life had been and how much fun he'd had. More fun than even his expansive imagination could have thought up when he shipped off in the small dingy.

It had been so fun.

He then felt sadness rush over him. The thought of never being able to laugh at Zoro and Sanji fighting, or to see the sunrise after a storm, or to snuggle in with Chopper and Usopp when the nights got too cold caused him to hang his head lower as he continued towards the end.

Just keep climbing up. Keep climbing up.

TBC…

And another chapter of my "little" fic comes to a close

Please review, It means so much when I get feedback on where my fic is going.

I know it was a pretty short chapter but I'll be updating more often hopefully as the story comes to an end. I know you've already suffered through a lot of angst up to this point, but... get ready for some more -_-'

Yay! I'm an evil person!

I really hope I can get up to 300 reviews (maybe more). If you like the fic, please support it with a little comment. :)

Speaking of wonderful people who review...

TARIGARMA12- Thank you so much! Yes, the rescue is going rather poorly indeed. But when are things ever easy for the SH pirates?

avatoa- lol, yes, things seem to be getting better... well... aside from the whole Luffy thing XD thanks

EALM528- And here's another one! I'm getting excited now that my fic is at the climax, so hopefully I'll have it done in a month or so (here's to hoping) Thank you soo much! I'm glad that my readers share my twisted mind in regards to angst XD I'm a - enjoy happy stuff a lot, but must have drama and angst as well- kind of person. I enjoy emotional torture as well (as I'm sure you'll discover as the story continues)

Recordatio001- indeed, still waiting on the Luffy whump *grins evily* I love ZoLu friendship as well! I very much disapprove of ZoxLu though... sadly that's pretty much all I find on fanfiction -_-' (aside from a few lucky finds). Tiger Hunt! That's the only OP fanfic I'm currently reading XD and yes, it just got super intense so I'm waiting anxiously for their update. I am sharing in your tourment XD and wow! Dominoes, I haven't read that in forever! That one was so cruel, but so good :) (I do skip the slash scenes) but I love that you've enjoyed the same fics that I have XD good taste I suppose ;) Not to deffer you from my fic, but I'd also suggest RUMBLE (by TreeStar... though there's a lot of slash in that one) and... what was that other one... oh yeah, Beautiful Sacrifice... (I dunno about that one because it might be a little too much for my taste...) anyways! There's a super long response to your review! if you stumble upon any other good fics please let me know (since you seem to have a great eye for them)

Neko11- Hey again! Thank you so much for the encouragement! at least now Luffy has something he can do ^_^ ... that's kind of a good thing... despite the negative side-effects... anyhows! You've been so awesome to keep reviewing! I can't tell you how happy your feedback makes me

Tare-chan- indeed! I hope this chapter answers all of those questions ^_^ sort of... thank you so much for reviewing! I'm trying to update more often so you don't have to wait very long.

WezL- My pleasure! Thank you for the encouragement over these last few months WezL. Your reviews have really pushed me to get this thing completed and now I can happily say that the end is in sight :)

Once again, to all of you readers, THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT! I love you all!


	48. Sacrifice

**Here's another early chapter thanks to all of the encouraging reviews given :)**

**SUP, you really made my day with your review and I just had to update ^_^  
**

**Also, LOL to the number of threats regarding my killing off of Luffy *evil grin* Tell me, am I hardcore angsty or just angsty? Guess you'll find out soon :)**

- Chopper -

Luffy left the marines at the base's entrance four minutes before Chopper came to a skidding halt at the door.

"What the heck's going on!" Chopper demanded, looking up at Canaan and Jason whose sights still remained fixed on where Luffy had left them earlier.

"Where's Luffy? I heard him yelling? And what happened to Usopp and Robin?"

Canaan looked down at the doctor sadly, not wanting to be the one to break the news to the reindeer.

"Usopp and Robin are behind this door" explained Jason, avoiding the topic of the reindeer's captain. "The base is self-destructing by imploding the volcano in on itself and Sky is holding off the seastone magma so it doesn't drown your friends."

Chopper looked over at sky who remained glued to the door, determined not to let Luffy's sacrifice be in vain but on the verge of losing consciousness. Every few seconds he would open his eyes as they started to roll up, catching himself before he slid down the metal door. He knew his control of the wall of seastone was weakening, feeling it push against him as he struggled to keep it at bay.

Inside, Usopp and Robin had pulled themselves as close to the door as possible as the magma drew closer and closer to them, leaving only feet between them and the burning liquid. The two crewmates huddled together, not knowing of their captain's plan to rescue them but holding on to their faith in him that he would pull through.

"I heard Luffy yelling" Chopper stated "where'd he go?"

It was the look in Canaan's eyes and Jason turning his head away to avoid eye-contact that led him to believe that his captain was in trouble.

"What's wrong? What happened to him?"

- Luffy -

The forest had come to an end as smooth rocks took over the terrain ahead of Luffy, leading to the massive, round peak of the mountain; the highest point of the island. He was out of breath but kept his body moving as he crawled up the final few yards, getting hit by a gust of wind as he summited the smooth-surfaced volcano dome.

It was cooler at such a high elevation, but the sun seemed brighter than below. There was a haze that covered the lower part of the island that he figured must have had traces of seastone in it because the air up above seemed much fresher and clean.

For a moment his instincts tried to convince him to just stay up there and not to ruin the peace and clarity he was feeling, but he knew time was running out and that there was no time to be enjoying the view.

- Canaan, Sky, Jason and Chopper -

Chopper was speechless when he heard the news of what his captain was going to do. He didn't know what to do, standing frozen in place as he tried to think of any way to save his captain from the fate he was running to but no solution presented itself.

Tears and snot started pouring out of eyes and nose as the little reindeer began to cry, sobbing to the sky. What made it all worse was that Luffy was currently alive, so a part of him still clung to hope when there was none left to hold on to.

Suddenly Jason grabbed him into a hug with his uninjured arm, pulling the little pirate's head to his shoulder. Immediately Chopper's tears soaked his shirt as he continued to bawl and soon the marine was also sobbing.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry" he cried, digging his own face into the deer's dirty fur. He had seen how much the crew had gone through to save their captain, and for him to sacrifice himself for them must be Hell for them.

"B-Bu Luffy- Luffy's godda be king of d pirades" Chopper cried into the marine's shoulder.

Canaan bit his lip, hating to be the one to give more orders at a time like this but knowing that he had to.

"Guys, when Luffy breaks the roof of that volcano, it's going to be a major eruption so we have to get as many people away from its peak as possible."

He looked over worriedly at Sky, who now hardly looked conscious at all as his glazed eyes stared unseeingly down at the ground, his breathing uneven and labored. Even with Luffy causing the eruption to come out of the top of the mountain, they still had a short span of time to get away from the magma once it started to pour down the island.

His concerns were forgotten when Sky collapsed.

- Luffy -

Taking a few deep breaths, Luffy blew a huge gulp of air into his fist, being sure to act without thinking about what he was really about to do. Heaving it into the air he slammed it down onto the thick rock, causing a large crack to form beneath him but leaving the volcano sealed.

A wave of emotion washed over him as he realized he would have to repeat the same action that would lead to his execution again.

Growling, he slammed it again after transferring the air into his other arm. Again, it formed a crack, this time larger than the last. His heart racing as he quickly thought over what the crack meant, he struck it again, and again, and again.

Finally a hissing of seastone gas started seeping out from the cracks, like the mountain had been holding his breath and had only opened up enough for the steam to squeeze itself out of the tiny opening it was given.

Luffy jumped away from the gas, now fully aware of what it would do to his body; and he couldn't pass out before finishing his job.

Taking a few steps back away from the leaking suppressant, he kept his fist swollen, finding a rock to grab hold of to shoot himself into the air, just over the wide crack he had formed. Not wasting any time, he sprung forward, giving himself several yards distance from the gas below. He focused all of his energy into his giant right arm as he brought it down with the force to match any amount of dynamite that could have been used.

The effect was instantaneous as the final stronghold of the volcano's seal was broken. There was a deafening boom as all of the welled-up gas and magma finally found an escape from their prison, exploding into the air for over a hundred meters. Instead of fire and smoke pouring out of the mountain's peak, a thick steam rose out, so thick that the sky was darkened by its gray cloak. Liquid seastone prism gushed out of the rocky peak, tearing down everything in its path.

The instant the mountain surface had given way to his fist, Luffy was hit with the gas like he'd been hit by a train, the impact sending him flying into the air with the rubble and rising steam. His pain only lasted a few seconds before the affects of the polluted air and spattering magma took their toll on the young captain's body as he finally gave into the darkness, glad to be done with his suffering but sad for his friends.

As the eruption continued, the raven-haired boy was lost in the sea of thick gas and debris.

- Zoro -

Zoro had been growing more and more frustrated as he continued up the mountain. He was practically at the top and had seen no sign of this Mr. Able fellow. He had felt an odd rumbling beneath his feet but didn't know what to make of it so he climbed on, glad that his wounds had stopped bleeding for the moment. Whenever he felt too tired to go on he would remember back to the recordings he had seen of his captain being tortured by these people and find new strength in his desire for vengeance.

It was about twenty-five minutes after he had defeated General Yu that he felt the ground shake again, this time from an outside source. Immediately he began to scan his surroundings for its cause, finding that it had not come from nearby, but from the dome of the mountain. That was when he saw it, a giant fist slamming into the peak's surface, and he knew it was his captain.

Relief flooded over him upon knowing that, not only was Luffy out of the base, but that he was also strong enough to give that mountain the pounding of its life… but why was he doing that anyway?

Confused, Zoro hurried to get to his captain, eager to see him again.

For a few seconds the pounding stopped and he paused in his climbing to hear what was going on. There was only silence and he wondered if his captain had given up on beating the landscape to death.

Then he saw the massive fist again, high enough in the sky this time for him to see Luffy's figure attached to it.

Smiling at the sight of his friend in action he made his way up a few more yards before his world exploded.

TBC…

Wow, another short chapter. I guess I'm unconsciously trying to get to 100 chapters. XD jk.

I love your reviews! So much! I just write the fic, you guys are making it worth anything :)

TARIGARMA12- Thank you so much for reading. and such an early review always makes me sooo happy!

EALM528- I know! Don't you just love Luffy's selflessness! XD that's probably why i drowned this fic in it hehehe. Phineas and Ferb aye? Doesn't sound like a very dramatic show, but I guess I'll take your word for it XD and LOL to your celebration of emotional torture XD

sess18- If you insist ^_^ thank you for taking the time to review!

Llaelien- thank you for all of your wonderful reviews! They mean so much! I'm sorry that this update was short again but I think the next few will be longer. It all depends on how I split up my scenes. Maybe Zoro will come to help... maybe Sanji will come to help... maybe Nami will... ok, enough XD

Recordatio001- dawwww, I'm so flattered -^_^- thank you so much! I am now re-reading Dominoes (forgot how horribly good that one was _') looks like I've discarded Luffy... horrible person that I am. I hope you still enjoy the rest of the fic :) and thanks again!

WezL- you're so wonderful to keep reviewing my chapters and probably one of the main reasons I'm finally seeing a light at the end of this long tunnel of storytelling. Thank you so much!

SUP- Your review made my dayyyyyy! Oh I'm so glad you are enjoying where the story is going and I hope you continue to enjoy it :D I don't want you to be really sad! And I hope you stick around to see if I'm a horrible person or not X) thank you so much for the encouraging review!

avatoa- Thanks for reviewing again! I hope you stick around to see what I do with our beloved Luffy.

Thanks again for all of you who read and review my fic! I'm so excited to be reaching the end :)

Until next time, Farewell


	49. Into the Pit

Here's another quick update to celebrate reaching 300 reviews. Thank you all sooooo much!

- Usopp and Robin -

Slowly but surely the acidic seastone had seeped its way back to the door, but Usopp remained over Robin, making sure she was breathing through his shirt. His bare back and chest had suffered when they had been dosed in the liquid prism, but he dared not take it back when the air was so thick with seastone gas that even he was having trouble breathing.

Slowly the wall overtook them, covering first their legs, then their torso's. Usopp bit back a scream as the magma burned his back like a thousand needles against his skin. Then, just when he thought he couldn't take any more, the force holding back the flood of seastone broke, causing the liquid to engulf them again. Gripping the handle of the door with all his might, he pulled Robin in closer to him and prayed for relief.

Long seconds passed in terrifying silence. He hadn't even heard Luffy's voice on the other side of the door for the last few minutes, and now his hearing was clogged by the consuming seastone prism. Once again his lungs began to convulse, begging him to open his mouth and breathe as if they didn't understand why he was tormenting them so. He was glad that Robin didn't have to be conscious through this and a part of him wished he would just pass out, but he had to last as long as possible; he owed his captain that much.

A minute passed, and yes he had been counting. Every time he thought he couldn't hold on any longer he just told himself "ten more seconds."

Another minute.

Ten more seconds.

He was going to die.

Then, the silence was replaced with a loud sucking noise but he was in too much pain and panicking too much to wonder where it was coming from. He finally gave in to his lungs demands, heaving in a mouthful of liquid seastone, making him gag but with no relief, only swallowing more as he struggled. Beneath his closed eyelids, his eyes rolled back into his skull as he began to lose his fight with consciousness.

Suddenly, the sucking noise became deafeningly loud, bringing him back to consciousness as he felt his body being tugged away from the door.

With the last of his strength he reestablished his grip on the door handle as well as his crewmate, squeezing his eyes as tightly shut as he could as he continued to drown on the burning prism.

As if the tunnel was trying to gobble them up, the seastone was swept back into the depths of the darkness, the vacuum trying its hardest to suck in the two pirates left at the end of the hallway.

Finally, his gagging created the desired result, removing the burning seastone from his lungs and throat, replacing it with oxygen. Still, the agony the liquid prism had inflicted on his body continued to push him to the brink of unconsciousness, the fear of being dragged into the depths of the base by the suctioning rush of air keeping his hands around the door handle, his lifeline.

Then it was over.

The seastone magma was gone, the tornado-like vacuum subdued, and the hallway silent once more aside from Usopp coughing up whatever amount of liquid was left in his body. It burned like nothing he had experienced before and he collapsed to the ground, barely conscious of anything other than pain.

"What had happened? Where did the seastone prism go?"

His mind stubbornly refused to sort through the options as it fought to embrace the darkness that was threatening to overtake his vision. Before anything though, he had to make sure Robin was ok. Then he could pass out.

Dragging himself over to the archeologist, he took the rag away from her face. Somehow he'd managed to keep it over her mouth and nose during the chaos, and as he removed it, he was glad to see that her mouth and nose were miraculously still dry.

Feeling her neck for a pulse, he let out a scratchy sigh of relief when the pump of her heartbeat, but he was alarmed at how unbelievably slow it had become. Her breathing was so faint he had thought she would need CPR at first, but putting his hand up to her mouth he felt a very light puff of air escape her lips.

Letting out another sigh, he let his eyes roll up into his skull and fell into peaceful unconsciousness, unaware of what his captain had just done for him.

- Zoro -

The scene played out before Zoro like a horrible nightmare. The shock and surprise of the mountain blowing up had not even compared to the sight of his captain being flung like a rag doll into the sky by the built up pressure.

Without even thinking he began to run for the edge of the now open volcano, dodging the rocks and spatter that came raining down on him from the explosion. There was a flood of magma rushing down at him that he knew he wouldn't be able to dodge so he challenged it instead, bringing his swords out and sending a powerful slash right at the metallic wall of liquid.

Suddenly, he heard a rush of feet padding on the ground a few yards from him, turning his head to spot none other than Mr. Able riding his odd steed as fast as he could away from the falling magma. Their eyes met as the two men crossed paths, one charging for towards the threat, the other retreating.

Zoro's breath caught as his final target, the man who had started this whole crappy thing, passed just feet from him. His desire to kill tugged at him to launch himself at the man and finally tame the monster inside of him who screamed for blood to avenge his beloved captain, but there was another pull that kept him running forward. His devotion to Luffy.

Vengeance didn't even raise a candle to the wildfire of loyalty he had towards his captain, so without even missing a step he ran on, straight towards the abyss that was the newly opened crater that Luffy was falling into.

Seconds later he was wading through several feet of seastone magma, the burning already seeping through his pants, but it didn't slow him down. Though the blast had thrown Luffy incredibly high into the air, he had already fallen back into the crater, only seconds from landing in the bubbling lake of seastone that was now below the walls of the mountain once again but with the occasional blast that would send it shooting up and over the side of the dome.

Seeing Luffy's body pass from sight as it fell deeper into the abyss, Zoro knew that no matter what he did, his captain was going to fall into the magma waiting below. It would hardly matter if he jumped in and caught him, for even then they would both be swimming in burning seastone. Luffy probably would never even know that his first mate had been there for him to the end.

Not even giving thought to the repercussions of his actions, Zoro, reaching the edge of the crater, leapt out into the gas polluted air with nothing but open space for hundreds of feet down. He kept his gaze fixed on Luffy, needling himself to speed up his decent so he could reach his captain before he hit the seastone magma below.

He wasn't going to reach him in time.

Immediately Zoro began to picture what he was going to have to do. Luffy was going to land in the godforsaken volcano and he was about to follow after him. He tried to imagine what it was going to feel like to be engulfed by the acidic liquid to prepare himself and imagined diving in, headfirst, and swimming till his hands touched his captain's body.

That was as far as he'd planned.

Luffy hit the seastone prism with a small splash, the rumble of the volcano blurring out any sound it must have made; an insignificant plunk into the erupting magma. Immediately the boy began to sink, completely unmoving despite the burn of the seastone on his flesh, or the fact that he was face down in the thick metallic liquid.

Zoro's heart was pumping as fast as it could as he neared the surface of the lake. He didn't know if it was fear of what he was about to experience or the alarm of his captain's lack of reaction to his landing, but he closed his eyes tightly and brought his hands out in front of him, mentally willing his body to ignore whatever was about to happen to it and to do as he instructed for just a little while longer.

Nothing could have prepared him for the impact and the fire that engulfed him as he hit the bubbling seastone. It immediately seeped into his open wounds, digging deep into hole the bullet had dug into him earlier. Yet his body did not betray him as he drew his arms out and flailed around, desperate to grab a hold of his sinking friend.

He wanted to scream. He wanted to scramble out of the burning substance that overwhelmed him and rub it off with whatever he could find. But he kept kicking his legs to swim deeper, his arms still outstretched in search of his lost friend.

Then he touched it, the edge of Luffy's foot. Quickly he grabbed hold of the ankle and hastily began to swim back to the surface, his body working in overdrive as if to say "alright, you've got what you were looking for… Now get the heck out of here!"

His head broke the surface a few seconds later and he took in a great heave of breath into his starving lungs, the ability to breathe the only console against the endless pain that overwhelmed him.

He dragged Luffy up, turning him so that his head was out of the creamy white magma, though they both still had the substance covering every inch of their bodies. The boy's head hung limply down, his chin resting on his chest. The coating of seastone over his face did not mask his peaceful expression and it terrified Zoro as he struggled to swim to the wall of rock that awaited him.

He knew he wasn't going to make it, but it was his responsibility to keep his captain alive until his body stopped working. What scared him was the thought that he was probably carrying the corpse of his captain through the thick liquid as he heard no heartbeat and felt no breaths enter the boy's mouth.

He shoved those thoughts aside, roughly if that was even possible. Bringing his one free arm out and kicking his legs as hard as he could, he made his way to the edge of the bubbling lake, the seastone spilling over his eyes, forcing him to keep them shut and pray he was going in the right direction and stabs of hot pain shooting through every inch of his body.

Desperately grabbing for a ledge or nook in the rock wall, he started to sink. His legs stopped working and his arm was numb with pain. He tried to feel around for something to grab on to but whenever he tried to open his eyes the prism would drip down, burning them like acid.

He let out a yell of frustration as he continued to sink, Luffy's head dipping back into the murky liquid. Zoro reached desperately for anything to stop their decent, but found nothing but slick rock and air. Even when his head became submerged, he kept his arm out, praying that his fingers would grasp something, anything that would help him get his captain out.

Suddenly, a strong arm took hold of his numb appendage, pulling him up, once more, out of the hellish depths of the magma lake. He had been expecting to die, and still felt like he was well on his way, but a miracle had happened. An angel had reached down and given him hope once again.

A sleeve was wiped across his eyes and he squinted them open to see a blurry image of a man over them.

_Ok, definitely not an angel._

Pulling him out of the seastone prism was none other than the dart-brows cook himself.

TBC…

Yay! Sanji's back!

Thank you all so much for the reviews! You're all wonderful and kind!

EALM528- lol XD an excellent assumption. Thank you so much for reviewing ^_^ ur great

Red Voident Dragon- Welllll then, here's another quick update :) this was quite literally a cliffhanger (hahahahaha! i am so friggin funny) I love your quote! brilliant! I hope you enjoyed this chapter

Recordatio001- daww, thank you ^_^ wow! I forgot about "Lost" as well! Dude, that is honestly, one of my favoritest fanfictions of all time! Once again your taste has lined up perfectly with my own XD

Llaelien- thank you so much for reviewing again! Its fun :) you've been really encouraging. This chaptter was a bit longer in my defense ^_^

BlindPyroLove- Lol, you're very decisive indeed :) thanks for your amusing review :) it made me laugh

avatoa- hehehe, sorry to keep you in suspense. I hope you see the fic to the end none the less :)

darkness34- That would be pretty depressing, but this whole fic has been depressing soooo _ we'll have to wait and seeeeeee

SUP- HEY back atcha :) you were right! Zoro did go after Luffy... the question is, did he SAVE him? heheheheheheeee. ANYHOWS, I also love me some Luffy-tourture fics (there! I said it!). If you want to find some more, Recordatio001 has been so kind to mention some in their reviews. (though I hope that doesn't drive you away from mine -_-') I'm so happy you've been enjoying it! :D feel free to squee, I do on occasion XD and lol to you keeping on reading, except if I kill Luffy... then you might keep reading XD lol Thank you so much for the support so far! I love writing when someone else is enjoying it.

Neko11- You are my 300th reviewer! I was waiting anxiously to reach that mark T_T and I am so happy you were the one to do it because I have so loved your reviews. thank you so much for coming back, and reviewing two chapters. You've been with this fic for so long, but I hope you stick around to the end.

Once again, to all of my readers, Thank you soooo much!


	50. The Climb

Wow, thank you guys for the many reviews for the last chapter :D

May this 50th chapter be my thank you to you all!

- Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy -

Zoro hated that he couldn't return the strong grip that his blond crewmate had on his arm, but he was hardly holding on to consciousness, narrowing all of his focus onto keeping his captain in his arms. No matter what happened, he had to make sure Luffy stayed under his arm. He gazed up drowsily, wanting to ask Sanji what the heck he was doing there, but so weak and in so much pain that he couldn't even begin to form words.

"What the heck happened?" Sanji growled as he readjusted his grip on the swordsman's limp arm. He wasn't really expecting a response, but he had been just as surprised as Zoro had been when the mountain burst open. He had been struggling through the woods after escaping Bansi's watchful eye, unable to stay down when the rest of his crew were risking their lives to get back his captain. He had expected to build his strength as he got closer to the action, but to his dismay he seemed to have it zapped from him with each step.

That was when he spotted the huge fist of his captain rising above the mountain and he immediately picked up his pace heading right up the slope. He was shocked when the volcano erupted, connecting the dots to figure that Luffy was in trouble. As quickly as his body had allowed him, he ran up the mountain, breaking out of the forest just in time to see Zoro take his own dive off of the edge of the crater.

As quickly as he could, he rushed to the top of the bubbling pit, dodging waves of seastone magma and wading through what couldn't be avoided. He knew his first made wasn't suicidal so he made an educated guess that Luffy had fallen in after the eruption.

With as little hesitation as the Zoro had had when he leapt from the edge, Sanji began to climb down the prism-coated walls of the crater, closing his eyes against the pain in his side and the burning of the magma on his hands.

As he descended closer to the seastone lake, he kept an eye out for Zoro, and prayed he'd see Luffy as well. Struggling to find a hold in the smooth wall, he finally caught sight of the swordsman's head as it popped out of the creamy depths of the crater. Immediately he got as close as he could to where his crewmate was swimming… or at least trying to swim; he couldn't imagine how difficult it would be to even move in at sea of magma.

"Hold on you moron" he whispered bitterly as he saw Zoro reach the rock wall of the pit, struggling to get a grip on the slick slate. He hated the desperation in the first-mate's movements, completely forgetting the burning through his clothes and his hands.

Just before his friends sunk out of reach beneath the surface he launched an hand down and caught Zoro's still-extended arm. The grip was slippery and he almost lost his hold, but with a rough jerk he reestablished his grip, heaving the two sinking men a few feet out of the muck (taking a few gallons of the magma along with them).

"You alive there moss-head?" he panted, his eye latching on the figure still in the man's vice-grip. He knew it was Luffy though the body was completely coated from head-to-toe with metallic liquid reminding him of a sludge monster. Worrying that his sanity would hinder him from the daunting task ahead of him, he shoved aside that thought of that being the corpse of his captain and jostled Zoro, hoping to spark something in the exhausted man that would help him get them all back out of the forsaken crater.

To his frustration, the swordsman was hardly responsive, his eyes half-open and his head rolled down so that his chin rested on his chest. If it weren't for the fact that Luffy remained in his arms, Sanji would have assumed he was unconscious, so he mentally prepared himself for the climb he was about to have.

"Alright man, just stay with me. I'm gonna get you guys out of here."

Zoro moaned, panting heavily but nodding slowly as if to say "just go."

Using every ounce of upper-body strength he could muster, he dragged their dead weight up, pulling Zoro's arm over his shoulder, praying that the man would latch on. He needed all of the help he could get considering that he could barely keep himself moving and that the stab wound he was sporting had started seeping again.

To his relief, Zoro unconsciously kept his arm locked over the cook's shoulder. With that small help, he started his trek up the magma-coated wall.

After a few feet he began to doubt that he would even be able to make it halfway. Once again he pushed the thoughts away, focusing on his destination rather than his failing body, or the fact that the very fingers that kept them all from falling into oblivion were practically dissolved to hamburger. His precious hands that, as a chef, he had always made a point to keep in tip-top shape were hardly functioning anymore.

Yet he continued to climb, biting back moans of pain as his injuries pulled or when the burn of the seastone grew to be unbearable. He couldn't even imagine what the two men he was carrying were going though; and then the gnawing thought of Luffy returned. He hated to let his mind wonder back to the topic of his captain but with every bite of the acidic magma seeping on his flesh he would glance down at the boy still in Zoro's grip. He knew how potent seastone was to a devil-fruit user, but he could only pray that it was like his captain had fallen into sea-water… he had to believe that Luffy had just lost consciousness, had to believe that once they were all cleaned off he would wake up and start begging him to fix him meat. If he didn't hold on to that, onto that false sense of hope, he didn't think he'd be able to keep it together long enough to get them to the top.

Just keep climbing up. Keep climbing up.

What frustrated him the most was that the crater wall wasn't that high, but the strain on his body had already been too much and the coating of burning magma made it difficult to find a hold, and even harder to force himself to stick his hands into it to grab the hold.

He never faltered however, his memories prompting him to keep climbing despite the pain. Thinking back to Drum Island, he remembered that his captain had taken a similar climb several months ago. Actually, he had woken up before Luffy had been returned to their room, hearing a noise down the castle's hallway. Groggy as he had been, he crawled his way from his bed to find out what exactly he was hearing. He was horrified to hear Luffy yelling in pain as feeling returned to his frostbitten body. The sound of splashing water and the doctor's voice trying to soothe their patient echoed to where he was and he realized that his captain had carried both he and Nami all the way up the mountain singlehandedly. Later he had noticed the bandages. Not the ones that covered his chest and arms, but the ones on his hands were particularly heavier than the rest.

The scars on the boy's hands would prove his suspicions of what his captain had truly gone through to get the two of them to a doctor.

_Darn it all. If Luffy can climb a mountain in a friggin blizzard, I darn well better be able to get out of a crap hole._

He was only a few feet from the top now, gasping for breath. His whole body shook with strain and he took a moment to rest. Zoro was still non-responsive, but the seastone that had covered his body earlier had finally dripped down enough for him to look human again. Luffy was the same but Sanji turned his eye away from the body, worried that he would asses whatever damage had been done and start thinking about the options again.

"Oi! Marimo. You'd better not drop him or I'm gonna kick your butt, you hear me?"

It frustrated Sanji when Zoro didn't glare at him or spit out some hateful retort. Instead, the swordsman weakly nodded compliantly. Of course, Sanji knew the man would never drop his captain even if he lost consciousness, but he wanted to keep Zoro awake and somewhat alert.

Regaining his breath and pushing aside the other wave of worry regarding the first-mate's out-of-character response, he found a small second-wind that managed to get him up and out of the steep crater.

He collapsed in a heap with Zoro and Luffy in-tow, a part of him wanting to get out of the magma burning his face as it continued to seep over the edges of the volcano. A part of him wished he could have just jumped into the seastone lake and waited till another burst took place and let it send him flying out, but he knew it would probably be the death of all of them.

His vision blurred as he saw Zoro trying to wipe some of the remaining seastone prism from his captain's face: a face that remained terrifyingly still and peaceful. With all of his might he tried to push himself up to drag them away from the toxic material but his body was spent past its ability and refused to cooperate with the cook. They were all stuck atop the mountain that had become an acidic Hell of magma and thick gas.

- Alvida and Orrin -

Neither Alvida nor Orrin were expecting the sudden removal of the seastone that had earlier sealed their doom, and neither of them could figure out how it happened for sure.

"Maybe the design of this place was faulty" Orrin began, helping Alvida to her feet "perhaps they didn't check to see if every opening was strong enough to hold all of the magma in."

"But even then, how would one or two weak spots in the base cause ALL of the magma to get sucked out of here?" she argued.

"… I don't know, but we have to get out of here. There's a chance that the seastone prism will seep back in here. We need to get to the control room and open this place up or our strike of luck will be wasted."

With a nod Alvida followed the red-haired man out the door, overwhelmed by what had just happened.

Minutes ago she had been prepared to either starve to death or suffocate, and now she was busting out. However, now that she was going to live, she was going to face up to what she had done. All of those marines outside who had been sentenced to death for nothing, the Straw Hat crew for the horrific things she had done to their captain (if they were even still alive). Despite her fear of their retaliation, she hoped they had all survived.

- Mr. Able -

_What the heck is going on!_ Mr. Able thought in rage as charged down the mountain, away from the volcanic liquid that was pouring down after him.

Everything was going according to plan, and all of a sudden a volcano erupted. What were the odds?

A part of him knew it wasn't just his fowl luck that the place had blown to smithereens, but he didn't know how it could have happened.

_And who the heck was that green-haired man he had passed who was running straight towards the assailing magma?_ They had not traded friendly looks to say the least, and the man was covered in blood, some of it looking like spatter from another person's wound.

There was no time to ponder that however, his main focus currently was to get out of harm's way. His beast had about run itself to death, but the pursuing seastone continued on tirelessly down the mountain.

A few seconds later they had broken out of the woods and came to a skidding halt as the ground dropped off into nothingness.

"Darn… "

He was trapped with two options: jump into the sea, or be hit by the wave of its condensed counterpart. It would be a miracle if he managed to take the plunge into the ocean without being hit by the rocks… but perhaps there was a chance of him surviving if the beast took the brunt of the blow.

Cracking his whip, he spurred the creature forward, his own well-being the only thing on his mind.

The crashing waves taunted below them as they took the plunge just as the magma overtook them. As expected, the rocks proved to be too numerous and large to be avoided. They struck them with the built up force of gravity, the beast he was riding letting out a single yelp before it died, sliding off of the black boulder it had landed on.

Mr. Able quickly jumped off of the falling creature and scrambled onto the large rock, happy with himself for escaping death. The waves were daunting, but they did not breach the top of the slick rock he was standing on.

He let out a chuckle, wiping his face of the salty spray of the ocean that challenged the rocks.

A shadow formed over his head, and he felt uneasy as he turned to look back up from where he had just fallen. He only had time to widen his eyes and gasp before tons of hot magma came pouring down on top of him.

TBC…

Well! There's a semi-cliffhanger for you ^_^ hope you guys stick around to see what happens.

Once again, to all of you who've reviewed my chapters, thank you. The readers really do determine the value of the story. With you guys' support I am super excited to finish this fic.

TARIGARMA12- I was missing him to. I love me some Sanji XD you're welcome

EALM528- wow O_O I can't believe I wrote an entire chapter with out a conversation (I didn't notice XD) LOL your parody idea is hilarious! im imagining it in my head and is so friggin funny! totally not what I was going for -_-' i honestly didn't even notice this was my 50th chapter... wow. To be honest I never expected this fic to get so big when I started it. thaanks

Icecreambeans- Dawwwww -^_^- I am so flattered! Thank you so much :) I'm so glad you're enjoying it

Eternal Anime Fan- Thank you! I'm so glad that the main themes regarding loyalty and nakamaship are prominent. I totally get what you mean about the romance. I love me some pairing fics (I have one of my own actually) but for some reason I can hardly find any non-romance OP fanfics around here -_-' It's actually very frustrating. I try to search through the ff archives to find a good dramatic adventure friendship fic, and all I get are "Luffy loves Nami, but Sanji loves Nami though he had torn feelings about his love for Zoro etc." It's like no-one actually reads the manga... ANYWAYS... wow, sorry for the rant. Thank you again for the encouragement and for taking the time to review ^_^

Neko11- sometimes dreams come true ^_^ *super cheesy grin* Next chapter will give some info on what's happened to the others. I'm really glad you care about the OCs as well :) I LOVE Zoro's sickawesome loyalty to Luffy in the series, so I was just dying to write a scene focusing on that aspect. And I do love me some Sanji :) i feel bad that I had him out of the story for a while, but that's just how the story played out. thank you so much for your support!

Red Voident Dragon- Hello again! Thank you for continuing to make my day by reviewing my chapters ^_^ I'm so glad I can return the favor. 'To Glory' hmmmmm, I should give it a listen and maybe re-read the chapter to experience the full affect. i do love cliffhangers ^_^ and here I thought I was nicer that time.

Tare-chan- heheehhee, I'm getting excited as the story comes to a close. It's all these wonderful reviews that are getting me pumped about it as well. Yes, his condition isn't very good... not good at all. I guess the big boss didn't get away after all :)

avatoa- His steed is something that looks like a large mole-dragon thing. It has a brown furless top, while from it's lower cheeks down it's got long white fur. I don't think I described it well enough before but try to use your imagination. :) thanks for reviewing.

Llaelien- Hello again! Yay Sanji! Yes, how will Luffy survive? it is indeed nearing the end ^_^ It's kind of sad for me, but it will be nice for it all to come together. If I understood your question correctly, my answer would be... Normal Seastone processed into weapons or nets would only affect devil-fruit users, however, this is the raw material. The seastone liquid does burn regular people, but it doesn't make them weak like it would a user. At least that's how I had it planned :)

darkness34- yay! I'm so glad you're enjoying the fic ^_^ please stay alive for the end :)

Recodatio001- great taste indeed :) ah yes, ZoLu and SanLu friendship. rare treasures in the fanfiction world

WezL- hellooo again ^_^ indeed, the series allows a lot of room for near-death experiences XD thanks

caring16- sheesheesheesheee ^_^ why thankyou! I'm so glad you're enjoying it :)

SUP- Impressive insight my friend XD indeed! forget what the surrounding bystanders think, squee if the need arises ^_^ I hope this chapter lived up to your excitement XD if not... well.. darn it all T_T either way, you have been super awesome to encourage me with these last few chapters. thanks so much!

Thank you all for sticking with my fic! Do enjoy the last few chapters!


	51. As Long as He's Breathing

- Chopper and Paul -

"Let me go! Let me go!" Chopper screamed as he pulled against Paul's hold. He wanted to run up the mountain and get his captain back, his mind so focused on saving Luffy that it was blurring out any logical thought regarding what the seastone magma and gas would do to him.

That was why Paul was doing his best to keep a hold on the animal, which to his dismay had grown to a much larger size than his usual. He had resorted to grabbing at its ankles, but had just about lost his hold.

"Chopper! Chopper hey! Don't be an idiot! Your captain went up there so you could all keep living! If you head up after him he'll lose you and his sacrifice will be wasted!"

Chopper kept yelling and finally managed to keep his captor off, scrambling to run into the trees.

"He wouldn't have gone up there if he was happy with only a part of his crew making it out of here!"

The reindeer skidded to a halt, finally hearing what the young marine was trying to say. Also, the flood of magma was finally in range to be seen, tearing down the mountain.

Chopper heaved in exasperation; frustration causing his stomach to twist sickeningly. Then the finality of his loss took place of the frustration, and he began to wish he had had one last chance to see Luffy. If he had only gotten to the door a few minutes earlier he could have told his captain how much he had really meant to him, how much he'd respected him though he never showed it enough, how much he would miss him.

His mind fogged with grief and his eyes blurry with tears, he stumbled over to the door where he knew Usopp and Robin were still trapped. He wanted to be there to take care of his other two crewmates. To replace his feeling of uselessness, he decided to focus on what he could do.

Paul just stood a few feet away, watching sadly but no knowing what to do. He wished Canaan and Jason hadn't left, or that at least one of them had stayed behind because he had never been good with comforting anyone.

The reindeer's voice cracked as he yelled at the door, desperate to hear that his crewmates had survived.

"Usopp! Robin! Are you guys alright!"

There was no response and he felt his heart break; something he didn't think could happen twice. He had been desperate for some kind of consolation, be it at least the voices of his two friends; but even that was not granted to him.

Choking back sobs, he rested his head on the closed door, hoping that at least getting closer to his nakama would heal his broken spirit, but sitting there simply gave him time to ponder what had happened and what he was going to have to live without for the rest of his life.

- Alvida and Orrin-

Seastone had leaked down into the hallways by the time the two escapees reached the control room, but it only stood a few inches deep on the floor. Orrin helped Alvida along as she weakened to the hallways gasses, but she was still able to walk and they made good time in reaching the room.

"Holy crap" Orrin gasped upon seeing Yu's body collapsed on the floor and blood covering every inch that he'd touched. They both figured out quickly what had taken place.

"Wish he'd died sooner" Alvida growled, "he tried to kill us all… again! Almost did. Heck, I wouldn't mind if it hadn't been for the fact that he was gonna die anyway. He had nothing to gain the piece of crap."

"Well, if it helps you feel any better, he's dead now… and it looks like he didn't go peacefully."

"Well, it does."

Orrin stepped over to the bloody computer, praying that the system still worked after the order to self-destruct. Quickly he started typing away, overjoyed when the screen came on and started cooperating.

Once he got into the system, unlocking it turned out to be easier than he could have hoped; Alvida giving him help when passwords came up and codes that he'd missed or forgotten. None of the light bulbs in the hallway had survived the implosion of the volcano, but the mechanics that allowed control of the main doorways and locks still seemed intact.

With a few more clicks on the keyboard, the electronic sound of doors opening echoed through the hallways, causing Alvida and Orrin to smile in relief and make their way out of the base, never to set foot back inside again.

- Usopp and Robin -

Usopp barely acknowledged the whirring noise of the huge door beside him opening, but the warmth of the sunlight and the smell of fresh air that came wafting into the miserable hallway was enough to bring his back into consciousness long enough to see the blurry image of his furry crewmate rushing to his side mumbling some gibberish he didn't try to decipher.

Struggling to get up, he mouthed the word "Robin," unable to speak thanks to the seastone prism that had made its way down his throat, searing it so that even now he felt the burn of the substance.

He was relieved when Chopper seemed to read his mind, shifting over to the historian and calling for help. There was an urgency in the reindeers tone that scared him and for a moment he wondered if he'd misread Robin's symptoms. Maybe she was worse off than he had originally thought.

His worries proved to be misplaced however when he realized that the urgency had nothing to do with their physical needs, but rather their need to get away from where they were.

Suddenly, he was snatched up by Luffy… or at least he thought it was Luffy.

The figure holding him had all of the qualities, but his blurring vision kept him from confirming his suspicions so he decided to assume it was his captain.

"Knew y'd get 's out c'ptn" he wheezed out through his scratchy throat.

The boy holding him tensed at his words, pausing for a moment before following after Chopper, who was carrying Robin. They both were running now, away from the tunnel and from that general area. It didn't make any sense. What was the rush?

The sound of crashing debris behind them gave him his answer as he lazily turned his head to see a blurred wall of white magma flowing at a rapid speed down the incline they were running.

_Oh for Pete's sake leave us alone_ he thought.

The loose rocks made lout crunching noises as the lava ground them from their resting places and send them sliding with its powerful force, adding to intimidating roar of the volcano its own crashing boom behind them.

Usopp would have expected fear to be his reaction to the dooming force coming down upon them, but instead he felt happy and safe. He was alive and in his captain's protecting arms. No matter where they were or what was happening, the safest place he could find himself in was with Luffy.

As long as Luffy was breathing, Usopp knew he would watch over his nakama. So with that comfort, the marksman allowed himself to slip into peaceful unconsciousness once again.

- Sanji, Zoro and Luffy -

Luffy wasn't breathing.

That was the first thought that crossed Sanji's mind when he found the strength to drag himself over to the prone boy.

He finally allowed his mind to focus on his captain now that they were out of the pit, finally allowed the panic to seep in as he tried to assess what his next move should be.

CPR. That's the first step in getting someone to breath.

He rolled Luffy over, now numb to the acidic burn of the magma on his hands, tilting his captain's head back. His attempt to get air into the boy's lungs failed miserably; hardly able to get any of his breath down his throat. Something was clogging his lungs up so they couldn't even expand.

"Darn it Luffy" he growled, his voice more pathetic than he had liked "you went and swallowed the god-forsaken seastone didn't you?"

He felt Zoro's eyes bearing into his back; heard his unspoken pleas for him to get Luffy breathing again.

With another growl he abandoned getting air into his captain's body and focused in on getting whatever crap was clogging his lungs out.

Trying to find any strength left in his arms, the blond began to pound on his friend's bare chest. The first few strikes were forceful and calculated, but after a minute without any results they became more desperate and sporadic.

"Get out of him! Darn it all! Get out!"

As if in response to his yells, a gurgle came from Luffy's agape mouth as a pool of creamy magma finally showed itself and trickled down his cheek. The sight sickened the blond crewmate, and he let the wedge of insanity push a little farther into his psyche.

It wouldn't matter how much he beat on his captain's chest, he would never get all of the thick prism out of the boy's lungs.

"No. No you don't go like this you darned captain!"

Luffy remained unresponsive to the chef's demands, his head having rolled to the side with the lack of support.

Sanji let the threatening tears fill his eyes and make their way down his face like small rivers.

His mind refusing to accept what he was seeing, he began to pound on Luffy's chest once again. His thoughts blurred with his vision, yet he kept beating on the body before him, soon losing all concept of time.

Finally, his glazed eyes rolled up into his head and he collapsed, a part of him falling on his captain, the rest wallowing in leftover magma from the eruption.

None of the three pirates were conscious when the sounds of voices echoed past their ears, and none of them awoke when they were lifted by strong, yet gentle hands.

TBC…

Ahhh, another chapter complete. Have you all figured out I'm a sadistic witch yet? No? Hmmm, but how will I convince you? … how about another update?

YAY! Reviews! You are all so wonderful!

Kitty-bandit- KITTY! I've missed you soooo! and ur my first comment so it was just wonderful to see your review ^_^ I've been kinda on an updating spree since you left now that the story is finally coming to an end. I'm so glad u liked Sanji's surprise rescue, and I know Sky's ability seemed random but I actually have a logical reason for its occurrence (hopefully I'll get to explaining it later). u keep holding on to Luffy :) it would be just awful if he died :) dawwwwwwww -^_^- ur welcome! Ur reviews have made it all the more fun to write! *Raises empty water bottle because it's the only thing nearby* indeed, here's to One Piece! Thanks again for the wonderful review!

Red Voident Dragon- XD sowwy. I'm glad you hate the villain so much ^_^ I thought it would be ironic for him to die by the very thing he had done his evil with. :D YAY! My Drum Island reference has your approval ^_^ thank you so much

Recordatio001- :D thank you so much! That means so much to me T_T I'm sorry but the anxiety has just begun *evil grin* but rest assured, there will be closure to this seemingly endless stream of stress. Oh, and I must say, Tiger Hunt is TERRIBLE with cliffhangers! ARG! I just about destroyed something with that last chapter! It's so good, but I feel a lot better about my chapter endings after seeing the cruelty that Xparrot objects her readers.

HeroR- why hello HeroR ^_^ I can imagine why you thought the fic was dead. My hiatus' were awful, some being several months in a row. Thank you for coming back and not giving up on me T_T Also! I read both fics you suggested (thank you so much for giving me the heads-up on their existence) I can't believe it but I hadn't read them before and they were very good. A refreshment after all the Yaoi and out-of-character fics I've come across i my searches.

WezL- ^_^ I'm glad you liked his subtle yet ironic death. Thank you so much for all of your reviews! I can't tell you how much they've meant over the last ... many... chapters.

Tare-chan- I can't believe everything actually came together to be honest. I was so stressed that my time line would get thrown off somewhere and the whole story would fall apart, yet now I'm so close to finishing it up I can taste it T_T so bittersweet. I know it was a pretty anti-climactic death, but I wanted the irony in him dying by the seastone and a battle wasn't fitting in with everything else I planned for the crew. Your right though, I do feel he deserved worse. -_-'

darkness34- please stay alive! I do love your reviews :) I do love me some Zoro and Sanji friendship. Thanks for the review and i do hope you enjoyed this chapter (as depressing as it was).

avatoa- Indeed it is. I do think it would have been a good addition to have the gears be new to the crew, but I just didn't think to do that. Sooo, I can say that this story happened after movie 7 and before CP9. Luffy has already been practicing his new techniques before this story. That is my rescuing device for that large detail. Thanks for the input :) I should note that at the beginning of the fic when I clean it up later.

EALM528- Why thank you ^_^ I'm glad ur enjoying my cruelty to the characters you love. mwahaahahahaaaa *ehem* o_o' hmmm, how close am I? errrrrr let me take a crazy guess and saaaayyyyyyy five or six chapters maybe? Just a guess, but in my head that's how many. Thank you so much for the encouragement so far! I hope you enjoy the fic to the end :)

SUP- I do like cliffhangers (but if it matters, Tiger Hunt- the other OP fic I am currently reading- has far worse cliffhangers than I do... at least it seems that way because I already know what's going to happen in my story). I hope you weren't too impatient for too long. I like to think I'm getting the hang of this updating thing... but who knows, maybe I jinxed myself _ *updates 3 months later* Sorry that Luffy wasn't notsodead this chapter. You're welcome! Thanks for making it more fun to write ^_^

caring16- dawwwww -^_^- that makes me sooo happy! Hey hey! Wake up! I updated!

Nihongonofuriku- sheeesheshesheshe, I did didn't I? Well, this didn't really resolve anything, but all good resolutions take time... long... anguishing... depressing time. JK Thank you so much for reviewing! I am super encouraged and anxious to get this fic finished! Your review was the last push to get me to update again so thanks. :)

WHEW! Are my review responses longer than my chapters now? *sweatdrops* well, that just shows how much I appreciate them.

THANKS FOR READING! Hold on! More on the way soon!


	52. Be There

_You guys really got me going on this fic, so here's a longer chapter for u_ ^_^

- Canaan, Chopper, Sky, and Jason - **earlier** -

When Sky passed out, everyone reacted in their own form of panic. Canaan rushed to the boy's side, hoping that he might be able to awaken him and try to give them a few more seconds but it was clear that the marine's body had been pushed far passed its limits.

"Crap" he growled, trying to think logically, trying not to dwell on the two strawhats trapped on the other side of the door, trying to ignore the shouts coming from the little doctor at the entrance.

Jason stood a few feet away, clearly at a loss as to what to do.

"Jason! We need to be ready when the volcano erupts. Help me get Sky to the medics. We have to tell the others about the volcano and get as many out of harms reach as we can."

The younger marine nodded, anxious to get back into action. He ran over to his fallen comrade and used his good arm to heft the boy up. Sky let out a weak moan with the unwelcomed movement but otherwise didn't stir.

The sound of Luffy's fist striking the surface of the mountain echoed across the island, hiccupping everyone's thoughts for a short moment. They all had expected it, but that didn't stop the chill that went down their spines.

"Once we get with the others, we'll organize a team to go up and retrieve Mugiwara. If there's a chance he survives this, I want us to make sure he gets back to us."

The two marines looked over at the reindeer who remained planted at the door; they both knew no amount of reasoning would convince him to leave the entrance.

"Chopper, once that volcano erupts I want you to get out of here. You being here won't do anyone any good if you're dead."

With that, the two men rushed off, having much to do as the echo of Luffy's fist hit the mountain-top again.

"Usopp! Robin! Hold on! Just hold on!" Chopper screamed.

"Don't give up! Luffy's gonna-"

His voice was drowned out by a loud boom and the ground shook with the tremors of the eruption.

Squeezing his eyes shut as tightly as he could, Chopper tried to push out all the noise, as it kept shoving the reality of Luffy's sacrifice deeper into his skull. More tears crept out from his closed lids and his lower lip trembled.

"Luffy…"

- Canaan, Jason and Sky -

Canaan had to admit that Sky wasn't the only one who'd reached his physical limit. After all he'd been through while imprisoned at the base, and their recent battle had really taken any energy he had left out of him.

Fortunately, all of the men who stayed at the base had been well trained in following orders and working together so when the elite made his way back to the make-shift medical ward, where the majority of them had congregated after the battle, he easily got their attention and began instructing them on getting out of the path of the volcano's destruction.

Soon they were all gathering the wounded and basic supplies they would need once they got out of harm's way. In the meantime, Jason took Sky to Dr. Kale while Canaan searched for the right men to form a search party to try and retrieve Luffy, despite his doubts of the boy's survival. He knew several men who would be good for the job. They knew the terrain and would be capable of navigating it well enough to make it up to the peak in impressive time.

To his dismay, one of those men had been killed, three had been seriously injured; two injured enough to keep them off their feet, leaving only five who were physically up for the job. He would have gone up himself but he was hardly on his feet. This was the best he could do for them.

The men seemed more than happy to help out though they were clearly exhausted as well. The joy of victory over larger forces with better fighting capabilities had given everyone a burst of enthusiastic energy, so as soon as they heard what they were needed to do they headed out in an orderly row up the mountain.

Once they were off, Canaan sighed, letting the wall holding back his emotions to that point fall as he leaned back against a tree and slid down to a sitting position. Putting his head in his hands he held his composure, praying that, somehow, his new friend would survive and be brought back to him.

Suddenly his prayers were interrupted by a gentle hand on his shoulder. Popping his head up he saw Paul looking down with concern.

"Are you alright?"

The darkhaired boy's chest and torso were heavily bandaged and he had a few scrapes and bruises across his face but he showed no signs if he was in pain. His large blue eyes looked worried, reminding Canaan that he still had to tell the others about what Luffy had done. The elite's stomach twisted at the thought, considering that Paul had just faced a small army of commanders inside the base to save the captain from execution, only to find out now that Luffy had just martyred himself for his crewmates.

Looking up sadly he forced himself to explain the full situation to Paul.

By the time he had finished, the young marine looked like whatever energy he had left had been drained from him and his expression looked like a kicked puppy.

"No… Luffy… I can't believe he…" Paul put his hand over his mouth, as if to keep himself from asking something he knew Canaan didn't have an answer to.

"Chopper's still at the base entrance?" he asked, remembering Canaan saying that the deer had stayed behind. He had discovered Chopper's kindheartedness that night they had stayed out in the cold together, waiting for the StrawHat's return. Knowing that the reindeer understood what his captain had done, he imagined he was going crazy and would probably get himself killed trying to rescue him or his crewmates.

With the nod of the elite's head, Paul dashed away, back towards the threat of the volcano's magma, but also back to where his friend needed him.

Canaan let him go, not having the strength to join him and also knowing that the men around him needed his guidance. He would just slow them down if he followed, and if they needed to make a quick getaway from the magma they would need to have as little weight dragging them down as possible.

- Paul and Chopper -

The huge door sliding open was the first bit of mercy the universe seemed to give to the small doctor since that morning. Paul was relieved when Chopper had given in to his argument not to run up the volcano, but the feeling was replaced with pity when the reindeer scooted close to the door and called for his crewmates.

He rushed in after Chopper when the opening was large enough to get in, finding Usopp and Robin lying on the ground. Immediately they began checking their vitals, Chopper breaking into sobs when he discovered that both of his friends were alive.

They only had a few seconds to celebrate when the sounds of magma crashing down the hillside returned their attention to the severity of the situation. It was close now, closer than before and they knew they needed to get their butts moving or they would all be dead anyway.

Quickly, they both grabbed the two weak pirates and dashed out of the hallway, seeing the flood of seastone magma crashing down the slope. Taking the semi-conscious marksman into his arms, he followed Chopper away from the dark prison.

"Knew y'd get 's out c'ptn"

Paul's breath caught at the sound of Usopp's voice, and his heart felt like it had been shocked when he realized that the man had mistaken him for his captain. His brows furrowed as he looked down at Usopp, not wanting to imagine how things were going to be when someone told him that how his captain had really saved them.

Biting his lip, he picked up his pace, allowing the fear of the burning magma behind him to keep his thoughts distracted.

It wasn't hard.

- Nami -

A deep growl from the earth and the sound of men shouting brought the injured navigator back to consciousness. Her eyes flickered open, peering up at her surroundings before her mind caught up and reminded her of where she was and what she'd been doing. The blurry scenery and bright sky amused her for a while as she simply enjoyed the melancholy of nonchalance and the delightful feeling of floating.

It was fun until her mind finally connected with the rest of her body and the onslaught of unrelenting pain took over from her dazed state. Quickly she tried to return to her fantasy world, to fall back into that dream that had been so much more pleasant than the bitter reality.

Nami's chest rose and fell with deep breaths as she tried to ride out the wave of agony shooting through her body. Everything felt burnt, and any movement just heightened the senses to that pain so she tried her best to remain still.

Allowing her eyes to wonder, she noted that she was moving at a very fast pace, being carried by two marines on a cot. All around them were men carrying other cots. Everyone was either running or hobbling as quickly as they could; running from some unseen pursuer.

What worried her was that she was being carried by marines rather than her nakama. In fact, she couldn't see any of them in the crowd, motivating her to find her voice and speak.

"Where's my crew?" she asked weakly, hoping to catch one of her carrier's attention.

They both looked down, apparently shocked that she was awake. She wasn't prideful about her stamina, but she knew that she was a lot tougher than most people living the life she did, so she imagined she was pretty bad off to get a reaction like that.

"Your doctor ran off a few minutes ago but we haven't seen any of the others" one responded, he sounded apologetic.

"What?" Worry began to tickle her stomach and she tried to get up, hoping that the pain was separate from her strength. Maybe if she just ignored the pain she could still get up and find her friends.

This proved not to be the case when no matter how much she tried to get up despite the pain, she simply didn't have the strength.

"Crap! What the heck's going on?" she asked, her voice still weak but more forceful than before.

"The volcano's erupting" the other marine responded. "We need to move to a secure area where the magma won't reach us."

"So you guys won I'm supposing" she asked, assuming that was the case sense the sounds of battle couldn't be heard anymore and that everyone standing were wearing the dark uniforms and white cloaks. A few commanders could be seen but they were very obviously prisoners with their hands tied and guns aimed at their backs as they followed the crowd into the woods.

"Hey! I think I see your doctor friend!" shouted one of the men holding her cot "and… and I see two more of your crew with them!"

"Oh thank God" Nami sighed, following the man's gaze down the hill.

What she saw shocked her. The two small figures of Paul and Chopper could be seen charging to catch up with them, followed by a destructive wall of flowing magma, crashing into the small living quarters of the base and collecting debris in its wake.

"Holy crap!" she gasped.

"Don't worry" another marine stated "that magma won't reach us up here. Canaan knows the terrain of this island like the back of his hand and the elevation we're at is too high for the seastone to reach."

"Will they get here in time?" she asked desperately.

"Well, they're running like the Devil himself his chasing them, so I think they'll be out of harm's way before they're hit."

"They'd better" she sighed, closing her eyes again "or I'll kick their butts."

She felt her lift come to a halt and found herself lowered to the ground gently. Allowing her eyes to creep open again, she saw that they hadn't been joking when they said that they were close to the safe ground. All around her men were being situated on the ground, some began to remove packs from their shoulders and others went to watch the spectacle of the volcano's destruction behind them, climbing trees to get a better view.

A few minutes later she saw Chopper and Paul come stumbling into the small camp, both carrying one of her crewmates.

"What the heck had happened?""

They handed Usopp and Robin off to the medics and collapsed, both panting heavily and clearly exhausted. She was amazed that the reindeer had managed to run when he was so close to that much seastone, but she figured he had a lot to motivate him.

_But where was Luffy? Hadn't he been with them? And where had Zoro gotten himself to?_

Worry started to flood her thoughts and her mind pleaded for Chopper to come over and explain what the heck was going on. Then, as if in response to her pleading, the reindeer dragged himself up from the ground and shuffled over to her side.

He looked so tired.

"N-Nami? You're awake?" Relief coated every word, but she detected another emotion in his voice… sadness maybe? The worry got more vocal as the tickling in her stomach became twisting and sickening.

"Yeah, where're the others?"

The doctor's expression said everything, and yet nothing at the same time. His lip trembled and loud breathy sobs started to hiccup out of his little form.

"Oh Nami" he croaked out, before bursting into tears and curling into a ball of fur on her shoulder. Despite how much her mind screamed for answers, and the fear of loss drowning out the worry she had been suffocated by, she knew that her little crewmate needed her to just be there at the moment. To be conscious and to let him release all of his emotions into her so he wouldn't have to bear them alone.

All around them marines shuffled by awkwardly, most of them not making eye contact, and the ones that did showing true sympathy and apologetic glances. She didn't think they knew what they were apologizing for, or why the reindeer was so upset, but she appreciated them keeping their distance.

A few minutes later Chopper's loud sobs settled down into little whimpers and sniffles as he apologetically wiped away the snot and tears he had left on her shoulder and chest.

Finally she risked the question. The question she didn't want answered. The question she already had a good guess of what the answer to it was.

"Chopper… where's Luffy?"

With another whimper, the little doctor looked into her eyes, then gazed up at the volcano that was now bubbling with sporadic explosions of magma and still seeping with thick gas. He was up there. She knew it.

"How- how did it come to this?" she felt herself let out a heavy sob "why would he do that."

Pulling his hat further down to cover his face, Chopper began to relay the events of the past few minutes as best he could, hiding his tears as best he could.

- Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy-

The five marines had made good time getting up the mountain despite the trek being the most dangerous and strenuous task they had ever taken on. The magma was flowing everywhere, forcing them to take to the trees, jumping from limb to limb. Even the trees, however, were very familiar to them. They had arrived at the base with Canaan, before it was turned into an experimental prison, and before the first eruption those many years ago.

Getting to the edge of the woods was one thing, but getting to the open crater proved to be much more difficult. At first they scouted to surface of the mountain from the safety of the trees, but upon sighting the three pirates at the edge of the volcano's dome, they set about the task of retrieving them.

Taking the cloaks from their backs, they wrapped their legs from the knee down with several more layers of thick padding; praying that it would be enough to keep the acidic seastone off of their skin for a little while. As soon as they were prepped they jumped down into the creamy magma, thankful that enough of it had flowed down the mountain to leave it fairly shallow up top.

Wading through the thick liquid, they finally reached the three unconscious pirates. They had not been expecting three; in fact, Canaan had indicated that they might not even be able to find the captain. The sight before them was heart-wrenching, seeing the trail the blond had left from his climb over the edge of the crater, and seeing him laying across his captain, clearly having tried to revive him but to no avail.

Gently, they lifted the men out of the thick magma, trying to get as much of the seastone off as they could. They then did their best to clear a spot for them to lay them back down and assess their physical conditions.

"This one's alive" stated one of the marines crouched by Zoro.

"The blond is as well" stated the other as he hovered over the cook. "But…" he felt for Luffy's pulse, then pulled the boy's eyelid open to be greeted with a glazed and faded black eye, getting no dilation of the pupil in reaction to the change of lighting. He wasn't breathing either.

"I- I don't think this one made it" he said, hating the words he had spoken. He couldn't imagine how much the other two men had gone through to get their captain up there safely… only to be rewarded with this.

"Should we come back for him? We'll cover ground a lot quicker with only two, and Heaven knows they need immediate attention" another marine stated as he returned to a standing position in time to dodge a spatter of magma that retched out of the deep pit beside them. They were still in dangerous territory and needed to get back down quickly.

"That would probably be best. The captain would want his crewmates to be cared for as soon as possibl-"

His sentence was interrupted when he felt a strong hand grip his leg painfully. Jumping with surprise he looked down to see that the green-haired pirate had reached out and taken hold of him, his eyes barely open but burning with faded passion as he looked the marine in the eye.

"Don't you- *gasp* dare leave him" the swordsman heaved; each breath rattling painfully in his chest. He was barely holding on to consciousness but he retained his threatening presence despite his condition.

For a moment no one spoke, the marine keeping eye-contact with the suffering man. There was a silent understanding and he nodded sternly.

"Very well, we'll take him with us."

Zoro continued to breathe heavily, his eyes drifting in weariness as he added weakly: "be… be gentle with him."

Something in the tone of the man's voice made the marine's breath hitch.

"We will" he responded again, his words a promise that he would die to keep. Something about this man's loyalty and love for the dead boy beside him touched his heart more painfully than anything he had experienced before.

Then, as if his reassuring words were a lullaby to the pirate, Zoro closed his eyes and fell back into unconsciousness.

The marine coughed back a sob and returned his focus to the urgency of the situation at hand. He motioned for the four men to take Zoro and Sanji, while he took on the responsibility of transporting the limp boy carefully in his arms.

It was going to be a strenuous trip back, but he would make sure his precious cargo would get back to the camp without harm.

TBC…

Alrightttyyy! Another chapter! I am nearing the end! I can see it! I'm sorry for the heavy angst, and I'm sorry but there's much more on the way, but be strong!

You're all so wonderful to keep reviewing with each coming chapter! That really is my number one motivator and the main reason I've gotten on this updating spree.

Do remember that there are illustrations for this story on my Deviantart account. I'm Zinfer if you want to look me up :)

SUP- I'm so sorry I am causing you to lose sleep, though I'm glad that the emotional push I had for the story was effective (Once again proving how truly unkind I am). Thank you for checking for my updates and leaving such wonderfully kind reviews! Here is my update :) and I am well on my way to update again soon.

EALM528- I know I'm terrible. And I'm not even done yet XD I'm glad you like my twisted cruelty towards our beloved Straw Hat crew ^_^ Thank you for all of your encouragment so far. I can me motivated to write when I know that you'll remind me that you're still reading.

mto92- Greeting new reader! Thank you so much! I'm so glad you like it :) I hope you stick around for the ending.

Kitty-bandit- lol! I guess I find some cruel pleasure in killing both my characters and my readers XD (jk) YOU WERE NOT HOLDING ME BACK! If you only knew how your reviews have changed my updating efficiency (notice that I started this fic about 5 years ago... I used to only update once every few months... losing every reader in the process) Do good at school (I'm realllly hoping to finish this fic before I head to college) but I'll miss your reviews. If you find the time... or if you don't have the time and want a distraction, please come back and enjoy these last few chapters :) Telling me my fic was original made me squee a little inside with happiness. I am now super happy and ready to update as soon as I can XD

Icecreambeans- Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy the rest of the fic ^_^ ur review made my day

caring16- Thanks for taking the time to review! :) That just shows how... CARING... you are. (wow I'm awesome)

Recordatio001- No offence taken ^_^ I'll try to tone down the cliffhangers a bit with these last few chapters. Hopefully I won't draw things out too much T_T' though ... maybe possibly I'll have a bit more of that before the fic is over _ I hope you enjoy the rest of the story aside from that. Thanks for the review and I appreciate the critique

WezL- I know! I'm so friggin excited about finishing this fic off! You've really been one of my biggest motivators to keep up my updates and finally get to a conclusion. Thank you so much.

avatoa- probably -_-' I have a very angsty side... I truly hope you will stick with me through it to the end though :) it means a lot to me that you'd take the time to review, so thank you

Llaelien- I know T_T I feel bad for making Chopper cry so much. Thanks for all of the encouragment! I love reading your reviews! ^_^

darkness34- lol! yeah XD lovely mental image. And though I am horribly angsty and like to put my fav characters through crap, I don't think I'd go that far. and lol, I read your review and was like... Update time! XD so here's some more. Thanks for taking the time to review!

To all of my readers, THANKS SO MUCH! Do enjoy the rest of the fic


	53. Faith

Wow, I definitely felt the pressure to update with all of my reviewers getting depressed. You guys deserve some answers, so hopefully this chapter will cover a lot of that.

Here's a big fat chapter for ya ^_^

- Robin-

Everything seemed to be going in slow-motion as Robin peeled her eyelids open. There was a feeling that a lot of time had passed since she was last conscious and it made her uncomfortable. The sun was setting, she could tell that much, though most of the sky was hidden behind wide-spread limbs. There was a cloud of smoke rising behind them, reflecting the yellow sunlight to make it look a lot less daunting than what it represented.

It was quiet. That was the first thing she noted; the only sound reaching her ears being the wind causing the tree-branches and leaves to rub against each other to create a soothing rustle above her. Turning her head, she saw that she was definitely not in the underground prison and not even at the base. Smiling, she realized that Luffy had found a way to get them out of the tunnel after she had passed out. She had feared how he would respond to their deaths, knowing how much he loved his crewmates.

With that thought in mind, she rolled her head to the side to see that she was surrounded by people despite how quiet it was. Something in the air made her uneasy.

She spotted Zoro and Sanji lying only a few feet away, both heavily bandaged but she could tell by the rise and fall of their chests that they were alive. Two down, four more to go.

Happy with herself when she managed to raise herself onto her elbows, she continued to look around, smiling when she saw Chopper sleeping beside her. Gently, she placed a hand on his back, waiting patiently as the deer slowly came back to consciousness. He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks and she instantly regretted arousing him.

It took him a second to realize who had awoken him, but as soon as he discovered it was the historian he brightened up considerably.

"ROBIN! Thank God you're awake!" The little reindeer leapt onto her, causing her to fall back, but she lifted her arms and wrapped them around him. Despite the faith she had in Luffy to get them out of the base, she still found herself cherishing her little friend's hug more than she ever had before. The funny thing was that she wondered for a moment if she had in fact died in the tunnel and that heaven was just going back to the way things were, being with the crewmates she had come to love.

"What happened?" she asked, smiling as she lifted the reindeer away from her.

Chopper hesitated, though he knew he would have to be the one tell the historian of the terrible circumstances since the others were still reeling from the news about their captain. He had known about it the longest and had already told the story twice, so hopefully the third time he would be able to get through it without crying.

Robin frowned at her crewmate's hesitation. Something had happened; something terrible.

Swallowing hard, Chopper began to relay what had taken place just a few hours earlier, not making eye-contact with his crewmate out of fear that he would see the change in her expression and lose his composure.

He told the story from his point-of-view. Told of how he had been taking care of the marines and Nami when he heard Luffy yell and rushed to get to his captain. He told her of Luffy's plan and how he got there a few minutes too late. Through it all he didn't look up at her, determined to make it through the story quickly to get it over with.

When he felt his emotions bubble over for a moment as he explained why Luffy had needed to destroy the volcano's dome, he quickly jumped from the subject to Sky being the one holding off the seastone.

He figured Robin would be annoyed with him not getting to the point about their captain, but for his own sake he discounted her wishes and explained how Sky had been able to control seastone.

"Apparently Sky lived here a long time ago before the island was a base for seastone studies. There was a volcanic eruption back then as well and he got caught up in it, being swept down the mountain in the magma."

Robin shivered at the thought. She had been unconscious when they were swamped by the acidic magma, but the after-effects still lingered, leaving a burning tingling across her skin.

"He wound up at the foot of the mountain, stuck in the seastone prism for days until Canaan found him. Our best guess is that seastone has a ghost of its own and that it resided here in this island. I believe that the ghost bonded with Sky while he was stuck in the seastone magma without him even knowing and apparently he just discovered his abilities during a fight right before he got to you guys and held the prism off of you as long as he could."

"Chopper" Robin said calmly but firmly "what happened to Luffy?"

He knew he'd have to get to that, but the rabbit-trail had done its job and kept him from breaking down. Daring to look up at her, he started to explain what had happened after the volcano exploded, remembering for himself how hellish those past few hours had been.

- Two Hours Earlier -

Chopper was shaken awake by a gentle hand, wondering when he had fallen asleep. He was beside Robin and Usopp, then realized he was on Nami's lap and that she had been the one waking him.

Her presence had done wonders to his broken heart.

Blinking tiredly, he looked up to see five figures walking their way, carrying none other than his last three crewmates. Leaping out of Nami's arms he rushed to the small band of marines, wishing his navigator was in good enough shape to come with him, but feeling the situation too urgent to carry her over. He needed both hands free for whatever medical needs needed to be met.

Paul, Jason and Canaan were the only ones who joined him in front of the men, the rest of the marines being smart enough to give them breathing room.

Immediately Chopper began to get weak and dizzy from the overwhelming stench of the seastone emitting from his three crewmates. They must have all been dosed in the stuff, and unlike Usopp and Robin, they hadn't had a super-vacuum to hose it off of them.

Alvida came stumbling up a few seconds later, having returned with Orrin from the base a few minutes after Chopper and Paul had. Apparently they had gotten creative with the materials around the base, Orrin having created a make-shift boat, had slowly paddled his way over the gradually hardening magma while Alvida lay unconscious in the hull from the overwhelming aroma the lava produced.

"The swordsman and the blond were stable when we found them" one of the marines explained "and they seem to still be holding their own… which is really impressive considering the number of injuries they're sporting and the seastone that seeped into those injuries."

Chopper was stunned. _How the heck did Zoro and Sanji end up in this mess?_

His attention, however, was transfixed on his captain who was being lowered with tender care to the ground. The fact that the marine's hadn't given any feedback on the raven-haired boy's condition confirmed his horrifying suspicions and he dropped to his knees beside his captain, almost passing out from the stench of seastone that seeped from his body.

"H-he's not breathing. I'll start CPR" the reindeer stated, denial all he had left to cling to.

"His lungs are full of that seastone crap" one of the marines stated "CPR won't do him any good if the air won't go anywhere."

Chopper wanted to be mad at the man who was speaking. He knew the man was right and only had their best interest at heart, but he needed to have some kind of hope or process of medical aid to give.

"Then let's get the magma out" Canaan said matter-of-factly.

Everyone looked at him like he'd grown a second head.

"Sky can control this stuff so maybe he can help get it out of Luffy's system before it hardens."

"You do know the boy's dead right?" one of the men stated hesitantly.

His precautions proved to be pointless when Chopper's fist smashed into his face. The man went skidding back a few feet, landing on his butt with surprise.

"Don't say that" the reindeer panted. He felt a bit guilty for punching a man who had just gone through so much trouble to get his crewmates back to him, but he wouldn't stand for anyone saying that his captain was dead… no matter how logical it was.

The man wiped his mouth but didn't retort, staying on the ground but leaning up with his elbows resting on his knees, watching the rest of the group from his safe distance.

"Paul, go get Sky" Canaan ordered. "Do what you have too to wake him up."

Nodding, the younger marine rushed off, a few minutes later returning with a barely conscious Sky hanging from his shoulder. The grey-haired boy looked so tired and weak, but Chopper once again ignored the guilt of asking him for help and pointed at his captain.

"Luffy swallowed seastone after the eruption. If you can, would you get it out? I can guide you through it."

Sky didn't speak, but he nodded, pushing away from Paul and falling to the side of Luffy's lifeless body. He raised his eyes to Chopper for instructions, his one good eye glazed over.

Quickly the doctor began pointing out where the seastone would be and where the marine would be directing the magma out of the boy's throat.

Sky placed his hands on Luffy's chest where his lungs were and did as instructed: very carefully directing the seastone up his throat and out of his mouth they had left agape. Little by little he slowly removed almost a gallon of magma before the lungs were finally clear and Chopper could only sit and let his gut clench when the odd stomach-pumping didn't even evoke a natural gag-reflex from his captain.

As soon as the deed was done, Chopper began CPR, thanking Sky with his eyes as the marine was taken back to the medical quarters. The reindeer grew frustrated when he continued to be weakened by the dominating smell of seastone coming from the boy.

Looking over Luffy's body, he noted that there were still splotches of seastone all over his skin and clothes, but then his sensitive nose picked up another scent; one he knew well. He was so sick of crying and he could hardly believe he had any tears left, but there he went again, letting them fall like rivers down his face as he realized that his captain had soiled himself.

"Can you get me some rags and clean water?" he asked one of the marines. The others had taken Zoro and Sanji off to be cared for by Dr. Kale and now only Alvida, Jason and Canaan remained. He figured that was because the other men didn't want to be around when he finally acknowledged that Luffy was dead.

They would have had to wait a long time.

He continued the CPR, listening in when Alvida began to speak.

"Seastone or not, no-one can survive that long without oxygen" she said thoughtfully.

Chopper continued to breathe for his captain but paused in the middle to give the woman a death-glare.

"I'll punch you to if you say anything like that again-" he took a moment to breath into Luffy's lungs. "Isn't it possible that the seastone just slowed down his system? Or maybe it made it so his body didn't need oxygen because it came to a halt? Robin survived."

Alvida frowned, "Robin is a different story and you know it. She didn't inhale to seastone for one thing… and… she hasn't been pumped full of the stuff for the last few days. Luffy's body was already suffering the effects of the gas before the eruption, which couldn't have helped his chances of survival… however…"

Chopper went to pumping rhythmically into the boy's chest, but looked up with anticipation.

"However what?" he asked before going down and breathing for his captain again.

"… perhaps you're right. Maybe the seastone did slow down his system enough so that the lack of oxygen didn't matter… It's not out of the question… But if that was indeed the case, we don't know how long it will be before the seastone leaves his system; if it does at all. It could be hours. Hours of CPR on the unlikely chance that Luffy is simply slowed down and not completely dead."

- Present- Robin and Chopper -

Robin took the news like a pro, not breaking down or punching things like the other two crewmates Chopper had given the news to. It was one of her gifts to keep everything bottled up inside, though this time is felt like a bomb had gone off in her soul. She felt her eyes watering but took a deep breath to suppress whatever physical reaction she was having to her inward grief.

He had sacrificed himself for them.

After all of her dedication to him and her happiness with having loyalty to someone that was genuine and selfless, the one risk in it all had come true. Now she had to face the concept of losing someone she had finally managed to love unconditionally. It was the one risk when she got emotionally attached. Maybe she was a curse upon whomever she crewed with…

No…

_I can't think like that; not when there's a chance Luffy will survive._

"So what happened? Why aren't you doing CPR anymore?" She kept her voice calm but it shook a bit at the end.

"Nami took over after me, and about an hour ago Usopp woke up…" The reindeer's eyes looked distant for a moment. "He didn't take the news as well as you did… but he's doing the CPR now."

Robin's eyes widened, "you've been doing CPR for the past few hours?"

"I know it sounds crazy" the doctor mumbled, scuffing his hooves into the ground "but it's Luffy…" he paused again, his lip trembling again but no tears forming in his large eyes. "A-Alvida says that if he was going to wake up it would have happened by now… That he should be at least breathing on his own…"

It was quiet again. Both crewmates overwhelmed by the reindeer's last statement. The sound of rustling leaves was herd overhead once again as the warm air swept by them causing Robin's hair to whip around her face, but she made no attempt to remove it, numb to everything other than the thought of living without Luffy.

It was Chopper's voice that brought her back to reality as he turned and looked her directly in the eye.

"But we're not giving up on him... " he said, a strength in his voice that had been lacking earlier.

"…not ever."

- Usopp-

It was hard. It was so hard to keep breathing for Luffy. Every breath forced him to acknowledge the lifelessness of his friend. Each time he filled the boy's lungs up with his own air, he was reminded that the only reason he could breathe was that Luffy had given his life for him. It was a sick trade. His lungs were working at the exchange of Luffy's.

He felt like he should have been embarrassed to do CPR on someone for so long. It had been about an hour and he knew that logic said that no amount of forcing his captain's lungs to work would bring him back, but the action was his way of clinging to denial. He didn't want to look crazy, noticing that none of the marines around them looked in his direction, but this was the last thing he could do for Luffy. It wasn't so much about keeping the boy breathing anymore, as instead it was him believing that his captain would come back to them.

Nami was nearby, deeply sleeping after doing CPR despite the terrible shape she was in. His embarrassment for his actions faded when he remembered that every one of his crewmates would also take up his job. They all would hold on to that reckless hope in Alvida's theory.

At that thought, he heard footsteps coming his way, only looking up from his job when they kneeled beside him. Raising his head, he met Robin's eyes and in that short moment they shared every emotion that had been twisting in their hearts; the guilt of being responsible for their captain's death and the disappointment of failure subtly expressing itself through a span of no more than two seconds.

After resting a hand on the raven-haired boy's chest, Robin lifted her eyes, seeing Nami nearby, as well as Zoro and Sanji (who were still unconscious but left close-by just in case).

What surprised her was that Orrin and Alvida were also only a few feet away, sleeping side-by-side under a tree. Perhaps they hadn't given up yet either.

Without a word, Robin took over CPR while Chopper led Usopp to a place he could rest.

- Canaan and Paul -

The news of Sky's condition had shocked all of the men. Many had known he had gone up against the two assassin commanders, but those had expected him to be dead, while the others couldn't imagine how he had received so many extensive injuries.

Now, Canaan and Paul sat with their friend, allowing happiness to make its way into their broken spirits. The three of them had survived and were once again together.

Despite how much they wanted to be over with the Straw Hat crew to support them, they knew the crew needed their space. So they waited at a distance, praying for the boy to pull through somehow.

"Canaan" Paul started, breaking the silence "how can they keep doing that? Don't they realize that if it doesn't work, - which I might add make's all the logical sense in the world-, that it will be more painful to accept when he doesn't rise from the dead? Hope just makes it hurt more when life ends up shooting you in the face with reality."

Canaan looked over at the younger marine, his golden eyes dulled a bit from exhaustion but still focused and stern.

"That's because you guys have two very different views on life. I know that you've suffered a lot before you got here, just as Sky did. You've given hope a chance and it let you down and so you've set up defenses so you never get disappointed again. But hope isn't reserved just for people who have pleasant lives, and it's not reserved for those who defy logic."

Paul didn't speak but kept his large blue eyes fixed on the elite skeptically.

"Listen, you believe that knowing something bad is going to happen makes it easier to accept, which may be true; but what they're showing is faith. It's not just believing that Luffy will pull through, but it's taking action and taking the risk of greater loss and greater disappointment."

"Sounds stupid."

"Maybe it is, but they aren't doing it for their own sake. Sure it would be easier to just accept their loss without having to struggle through it twice, but they have faith in their captain for the sake of loyalty and will continue to look like fools until they can't go on any more. From what I've seen from that crew, love will outweigh pride every time."

- 3 hours later -

Sanji had woken up a few minutes after Robin and, though he was barely able to lift himself from his lying position, he immediately volunteered to take on the CPR job. He had been overwhelmed with relief when he discovered that they had managed to get the seastone out of Luffy's lungs. Chopper made a guess as to how he knew about the substance their captain had swallowed, especially after seeing the bruising that had formed on the boy's chest.

The cook lasted an hour before he asked for help, exhausted from the day's activities and his wounds. Despite his weakness however, he soon found his way to where the marines here holding their rations, requesting ingredients to cook a large meal. When asked why, he simply said that his captain would be hungry when he woke up.

Awkwardly, the men gave him what they had, not knowing exactly how to respond to the blond's denial.

The crew had each had a turn, and as the night fell, it was back to Usopp to continue the CPR.

Twenty-five minutes into it Luffy woke up.

TBC…

Annnddd, now you see my true nature. Though, you will also see that life's not all hugs and rainbows for the crew in the next chapter (I guess that's kind of a spoiler but oh well.)

Thank you all soo much for sticking with me! Your reviews have made these last few chapters much more exciting to write than the first few XD

Icecreambeans- wow! thanks for the quick review ^_^ I would say not to cry Lindsay, but that is indeed my purpose in writing such angsty things XD Do enjoy the rest of the fic!

Recordatio001- Indeed, that is the big question. I do believe it has been answered ;) I really hope you came back to read the rest, cause if you stopped now you'd be left with the impression that I truly killed off my beloved Luffy. I hope the update gave you some enlightenment :) thanks for the constant support, pushing me to keep going

WezL- Way to hold on to hope WezL! Just like the SH crew in this chapter ^_^ Thank you so much for the encouragment!

caring16- lol, thank you so much! I hope you continue to find enjoyment in it as it comes to a close, though (*spoiler* there's still a lot of angst coming)

XFangHeartX- Wish granted ^_^ thanks for reviewing!

darkness34- gaaaahhh! (I'm a her by the way) Indeed, it would be so depressing if the guilt train got started... but it turns out I'm a sucker for happy endings... (or am I? *waggles eyebrows*) Awwwww, well, if I feel this fic was successful enough, I'll probably start a new one when it's done ^_^

Neko11- I'm glad I was able to freak you out :) thank you so much for reviewing! and I'm so glad you enjoyed Zoro's scene. I always appreciate your reviews Neko, short or long ^_^

Llaelien- and this one is even longer ^_^ WOOHOO! You like Canaan! It means so much when people like my my original characters, so thank you! Way to hold on for Luffy's revival. Thank you so much for the reviews! Greetings :) - ps- may I ask you what your original language is? just curous

Kitty-bandit- lol! I love your reaction XD I would totally do the same thing if I didn't already know what was going to happen (I'm very protective of my Luffy) awwwww, I'm glad the fic is dramatic enough to invoke tears ^_^ means it's doing its job. And yes, very few people really look good in straw hats, Luffy being one of them. and lol, I really am a sucker for reviews. Once I get them I really want to please the people who'd spend time to encourage me. Maybe you did figure out what was going (you saw through my tricksiness *grins evily*) but I actually have a bit more in store for our beloved crew, so sit tight and enjoy the ride ^_^

EALM528- YAY! i love big reactions so woot for tachycardia! dawww ^_^ and as to how I planned it- I started the fic with the major rescue scene in mind (not really that much forethought), but for the last 25-30 chapter's I've really worked to organize the scenes in sequential order, outlining where people are and when they do what on a notepad. These last few chapters in particular. You have no idea how much it means that you would actually notice T_T *sniffles* thank you. I did remember the Drum Island scene when I wrote Zoro's scene (maybe that's what motivated it... I'm a super fan of OP so maybe I'm unconsciously using Oda's ideas... Oh oh! Like with Robin cloning herself! I wrote that before the 2yr time skip!) Really? :D you changed your to-do list for meee? and... and I ruled out checking DA? *is super moved* Thank you so much!

Seriously, Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! A few more chapters to go!


	54. Probable Outcome

Nihongonofuriku- (sorry I updated before I got your review so I didn't respond. so nothing personal XD) I really did try to make last chapter less of a cliffhanger but I think it's just some creepy natural writing habit. How the heck do you finish a chapter with it not being a cliffhanger? O_o... I'm ok... I'll try to do better so I don't kill anyone (just not with this chapter... It's got a super depressing cliffhanger as well) THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEW! It really means a lot!

- Luffy-

He couldn't feel anything, not even the beat of his own heart. He wondered if this was how it felt to be dead, just… nothingness. But no… something in his consciousness was sending alarm bells ringing in his head. Something was telling him that he was still alive but that something was terribly wrong.

Then he felt the expansion of his lungs, but there was no conscious action of taking in air on his part. At first he didn't mind, enjoying his own laziness but still fighting the desire to just stop thinking all together. The more he thought about what was happening however, the more his mind started to realize how unnatural his experience actually was. His lungs were being pumped full of air but he wasn't in control.

Panic started to seep into his conscience as he recalled the last experience he'd had with his lungs being pumped.

_No… Nonononono. This can't be happening. My crew came back. My crew got me out of here. This was never supposed to happen again._

Immediately he began to focus, trying to fight against whatever was keeping him from moving, but he couldn't even feel what was restraining him. In fact, he couldn't even try to fight back because, as far as he could tell, his body was non-existent aside from his moving lungs.

Then he had eyes. He didn't know where they'd come from but he had them. He needed to get them open so that he could find his captor and get them to leave him alone. He didn't know how exactly he was going to do so, but he hoped that seeing them would assist him in resisting.

With all of the willpower he could muster, he focused solely on his eyes, relieved when the blackness was broken by a thin line of color where his eyelids slowly separated. Yet when he finally managed to open his eyes, his mind couldn't figure out what any of the shapes before him where or what they meant. Glancing around frantically, he felt his lungs fill with air again and remembered the panic from earlier. He wasn't in control. They had drugged him and were going to force him to breathe in that Pindum stuff again. He had to do something, yet he couldn't find anything to focus his gaze on with everything blurring into dark tans and yellows, like a fire was lit somewhere.

_But why would they have a fire in here?_

It didn't matter, he had to make them stop before the burning gas was forced into him. Not knowing how he was to do it, he struggled to speak.

"Stop…"

There, he had done it! He didn't know how but he knew he had at least mouthed it. But darn it there they went again, pumping his lungs. Apparently they wouldn't take orders from him. Desperately he tried another method.

"Please…"

Suddenly, the pumping stopped and once again he felt nothing. At first he was pleasantly surprised that his tormentor had actually obliged to his wishes, but then something else replaced the panic of being tested on, and that was the fact that he couldn't breathe.

_What the figgin heck?_

He heard a muffled voice that seemed far away, but in some odd way it sounded loud. He couldn't figure out what was going on other than that he was suffocating. Suddenly, the fear of having his lungs pumped full of burning gas was overcome by the desperate need to breath.

_Ok, ok, forget what I said. You can breathe for me again. You can breathe for me again. You can breathe for me again!_

He heard a funny noise, like a dying animal, wondering where it came from.

The light was darkened by blurry figures. They frightened him but not nearly as much his inability to draw his own breath.

Then even his vision betrayed him, going black just as he felt his lungs expand again.

- Usopp -

His mind had gone numb when he returned to Luffy's side to continue his turn of CPR. He was so tired, physically as well as emotionally, yet he kept on.

Twenty-five minutes later he had gone to the usual chest compression, still with no response from his captain, when he heard a faint voice.

"Please…"

He looked down and his heart tried to leap out of his throat at the sight of the fire-light reflecting off of Luffy's glistening dark eyes.

Then, after a second of wondering if he'd imagined the whole thing, reality hit him like a monster adrenaline rush. He wasn't seeing things, the glazed eyes of his supposedly dead captain were open. His heart began to race and he leaned over, trying to catch the dark-haired boy's gaze.

"Luffy? Luffy! Can you hear me?... HEY GUYS! LUFFY'S ALI- er-AWAKE! GET OVER HERE QUICK!"

He never turned his gaze from his friend, feeling that if he looked away the dream would be lost and he would once again be looking upon the face of his dead captain. However, the sight was anything but comforting. Luffy's eyes were completely unfocused, dancing around in a dazed confusion. Then there was something Usopp had missed; a slight creasing of the eyebrows and then the horrifying noise that came out of his captain's throat.

_No, that couldn't have been Luffy's voice. Not that… that… whimper._

It was then that he acknowledged that the creasing of the eyebrows indicated that the boy was either in pain or afraid; possibly both.

_But what was the problem?_

As the others rushed to his side (some faster than others) he figured out what was wrong. Luffy wasn't breathing.

_How can he be friggin conscious and not be able to breathe on his own?_

He watched in horror as the eye's of his captain rolled back into his head; the only indicator that their friend was still with them.

Immediately he resumed CPR, his fear for Luffy only tickling the relief that the last few seconds had given him. Luffy was alive, no matter how his body appeared or functioned.

Then everything else snapped to his attention. Nami had been carried over by Chopper and Robin had helped Sanji over as well. They all were crammed in a huddle around him and their captain, looking down with anticipation. He noticed that most of the marines had also come, but kept the same respectable distance as they had before. He was beginning to like them more and more.

"Hellooo?" Sanji said, apparently following a question he had missed.

"Huh?"

"You said Luffy's alive! So why the heck are you still breathing for him!"

"He, uh, I thought he would be able to, but when I stopped he couldn't breathe so-" he paused to continue CPR "- I had to keep going."

"How'd you know he was alive then?"

"He opened his eyes" Usopp replied, not bothering to conceal any of the overwhelming relief the sight had given him.

Everyone looked at him with expressions that matched his tone of voice.

"I saw it" Robin said "I sent an eye over here and I saw it to. He woke up, if just for a few seconds. He's fighting to get back to us, I know it."

"But why can't he breathe? Is the seastone still keeping him from doing something as simple as that?" Nami was the one who spoke this time.

Suddenly Alvida appeared beside them, having given them time to get back to their captain but feeling that she needed to explain the options to them. She hadn't seen anything like this in her time at the lab, but she had a few educated guesses regarding what was happening to the young pirate.

"I said earlier that the seastone should have left his system several hours ago and I meant it. The fact that he's struggling to function in the simplest manner must be a result of too much of it entering his bloodstream. I know he had some open wounds when he fell into the volcano, and he possibly even digested a bit when he swallowed the prism. If it hasn't left his system by now… there's a chance that its effects are permanent…"

"What!" Sanji shouted, hardly comprehending what he had just heard.

"But his eyes opened! He had control over them!" Chopper added, clearly flustered by the concept.

"Yes he did, that's why I think there's a chance to get his body functioning again… at least on the basic level."

"Basic level?" Sanji's tone was growing darker and darker with each response.

"Listen, I'm just trying to help-"

"You're trying to make up for the crap you've put us through these last few days! You think telling me that my captain's a got a friggin disability will help me forgive you? You may be a woman but you've screwed things up enough to make our lives a living hell!"

Suddenly Orrin was up and between Alvida and Sanji, poised defensively but not threateningly.

"Don't worry man, I wouldn't hurt a woman anyway, but that doesn't mean I can't kick your butt."

"Sanji!"

It was Nami who called him out this time.

"You're acting on your emotions right now. We'll deal with Alvida when Luffy wakes up. We should leave it up to him to decide what we do with her. Right now, she's our best chance at getting him back to us so let's just settle down and look at our options. Alvida, what are you suggesting we do?"

Alvida bit her lip, a part of her wanting to be yelled at. She deserved so much worse than what she was getting; the Straw Hat crew had been more than merciful. In fact, Luffy's sacrifice had saved her and Orrin's life as well.

"As much as I hate to say it" she began "we need to get back into the base. We had a rapid-healing medication that we used during the testing to move the process along and I'm hoping it can give Luffy's body the kick it needs to start functioning again-"

"I saw what that rapid-healing crap did to Luffy last time you used it" Canaan growled as he walked into the circle. "He was in so much pain he was delusional!" (chapter 25)

There was a tension between everyone for a few seconds; the anger from the pirates could almost be physically felt.

"I'm doubting that will be a problem this time" Alvida continued "… because… well… because there's a chance that the seastone has shot his nervous system…" she was looking more and more uncomfortable as she spoke. "The fact that his natural gag reflexes didn't kick in when the seastone was removed is a strong indicator that his reaction to pain or discomfort isn't functioning like it should…"

"What are you saying?" Usopp interrupted, having switched off with Sanji who had decided that distracting himself with CPR would keep him from blowing up at everyone.

"Are you saying that… Luffy's body doesn't feel anything? But… but he looked like he was in pain when I stopped breathing for him."

"He was suffocating. It was probably not physical pain but rather the realization that he wasn't able to breathe. Tell me Usopp, did he move any to stop that pain?"

"SHUT UP!" Nami yelled, losing the calm demeanor she had used on her blond crewmate earlier. "How can you even suggest such a thing! And now when we finally got Luffy back?"

"I'm not suggesting this because I like it! I'm just sorting through the options based on what I've seen! We only have little while to get what we need to jump-start Luffy's body so it can breathe on its own and I don't want to sugar-coat anything… Listen, we did horrible things in that prison. We pumped your captain so full of Pindum and seastone that I can hardly believe he survived these last few days. I saw how he was reacting to it while you guys were escaping. It wasn't weakening him, it was physically harming him. The seastone was permanently infiltrating his system. At the time I hoped that some fresh air and time would allow him to continue on as normal, but jumping into a volcano of the stuff… well, I can't pretend to be optimistic. You guys deserve some vengeance and I wouldn't blame you guys if you wanted to kill me, but… could you hold off until I help you get your captain back?"

"Ok ok ok" Canaan sighed, putting his hand to his head "so what's your plan? We dig back into the base, get this healing medication, pump Luffy full of it, then the seastone will leave and these pirates can be on their merry way?"

"Yeah… that's the best-case scenario."

There was a united sigh of relief across the small cluster of people.

"But… if I were to be honest, that's not the most likely scenario."

The tension returned.

"The recovery medication should have enough punch in it to get Luffy's lungs and heart working again. Anything that would come naturally should work like food digestion and bladder… probably talking as well."

"Yeah, he said something when he woke up!" Usopp pointed out enthusiastically.

"Cut the crap" Sanji growled during a pause of his CPR, "what's your point?"

"… It's very likely that, due to the time that the seastone has been in Luffy's body and its influence on his nervous system… he probably won't have feeling from the neck down…"

"You've gotta be kidding me" Nami said, a frown in her voice and on her face "you can't be saying that-"

"If we are able to revive your captain, he will most likely be paralyzed for life."

TBC…

Ohhh, now isn't that peachy. I'm sure you guys are loving me right now. *I hope this doesn't lose me some readers*

Also, I never claimed to really know anything about anatomy or how the human body works, so if there's something that doesn't make sense in the medical world… let's just say that the fact that it's seastone changes everything. There, another rescuing device for Tiffany (tadah! Now you know my name).

Once again, I do have illustrations for this fic on deviantart . com - I'm Zinfer

XFangHeartX- you're welcome ^_^ thoughhh, i doubt ur as appreciative anymore... _ thanks for reviewing anyhow!

WezL- thank you so much :) YAY! I got a squee! Those mean a lot so thanks again. I hope you continue to enjoy the last few chapters

person i didn't get a name from- I'm glad you're enjoying it ^_^ I like Zoro and Luffy friendship, so, not to spoil anything but be patient :) thanks for reviewing mystery reader!

avatoa- hehehehehee, thanks for always reviewing, even though sometimes I wonder if you actually like the fic XD I hope it pleases you!

The Strike Freedom- why thank you :) I'm trying to improve my writing and all these updates might be helping (practice makes perfect and all) please don't forget meee T_T I'm almost done!

HeroR- yup, ya figured me out ^_^ Let's just say that if there was a breathing machine at the base, it was destroyed in the volcano, cause remember they had to make a quick getaway so not a lot of time to be grabbing breathing machines and such. good point though. I do intend to be finishing very soon! thanks

EALM528- YAY! Thank you so much! ^_^ I think everyone begging me not to kill Luffy made me want to update really quick. In fact, I had intended not to give any indication of his survival when I planned the chapters out, but I decided you guys deserved some answers. Ahh, movie 6, had some friggin awesome animation (except at the beginning where they made Luffy super weak looking) and some good angst (but when i first watched it it freaked the heck out of me. So dark for OP. Though I think I've developed a liking for it). I love the Drum Island arch! I didn't know about the Sanji poster prediction O_O impressive. lol! I thought it would be less of a cliffhanger if I mentioned his awakening but perhaps that was not the case XD Once again, thank you so much! Your reviews have had such a big influence on the rapid updating spree I've been on. It's really the reviews and encouragement that get me really pumped to keep going. (wow... super long response)

Icecreambeans- YAY! I'm glad my little fic brings you enjoyment :) heh, I really thought that I had done a good job at lessening the cliffhangerness of the end but it seems I was mistaken XD and thank you so much for reviewing

Recorrdatio001- well, maybe not so much breathing _ lol! It my job to look out for the innocent pieces of paper in the world. Other fandom? I'm curious, what is this other fandom? (if it matters, I'm on a Samurai Champloo hype right now so I won't judge you) Thank you for sticking with me T_T it means a lot!

caring16- HEHE ^_^ I am so happy you're enjoying the tale! I'll try to keep up this updating spree to the end (mainly thanks to awesome reviewers who keep me going)

Tare-chan- I am cruel... very cruel, but hey, Luffy's a live ^_^' i hope you stick with me through the last few angst-filled chapters. You've been a great encouragement over these last few weeks. Thank you.

darkness34- I love me some lovey-dovey SH bonding time. Much more to come actually. Yup, Luffy is a miracle worker ^_^ though... this might be a little less of a miracle than usual. Still, I hope you enjoy the final wave of chapters to the end.

mto92- Seriously, you guys are getting me pumped about the story so I just keep writing XD I don't think I've ever updated this quickly since I started so thanks for the motivation :)

Neko11- oh dear, your computer sounds like it's got an attitude problem XD that's rough. Thank you so much for keeping up with the fic and I do hope you enjoy the rest of it

Kitty-bandit- YAY! Kitty-bandit came back and reviewed despite her busy life! XD I was so happy to see you're message! made my evening ^_^ and yay for you believing my killing of Luffy! I almost didn't add those last three words but I thought it was about time I put something positive in (Don't want to get everyone so depressed they don't wanna keep reading). I love working with the loyalty and love of the crew (I think that's a main reason to write fanfictions because the manga clearly shows this but it doesn't have time to really emphasize it all of the time) You were smart to suspect fowl play on my part however :) got everyone's hopes up just to throw another wrench into the StrawHat's lives *mwahahahahjaajaa* lol! you made a bet with your brother! That makes me really really happy for some reason XD tell him I said hello and sorry for the deception. ahhhh, I remember the hilarious scene when he pulled the octopus out of his pants. I wish I could get the humor of the show into this fic XO it's one of the major strengths of One Piece... though, with all this angst it's hard to fit it in. and lol about the punk who removed his fic despite the reviews XD I think if I were to quit writing a fic I'd just leave it up XD (I dunno if you noticed "Scream Your Heart Out" fic in my queue... I actually had a plan for that but just... yeah -_-' anyhowsss! Thank you soooo much for sticking with me! and yes, All Hail Pirate King Luffy ^_^

THANK YOU ALLLLLL FOR READING AND SUPPORTING ME!


	55. Rest In Peace or Rise in Loss

Song listened to while writing: "Shattered" by Trading Yesterday.

- Zoro -

Zoro's eyes snapped open the second he regained consciousness.

_Luffy..._

Immediately he tried to sit up, not bothering to let his vision focus or to figure out where he was. Pain jolted through the stab wound in his side and the bullet wound in his chest but, to his own pride, he managed to get into a sitting position, his eyes darting frantically around for sight of his captain.

At first his vision betrayed him, only revealing blurred and watery shapes but he figured it was early morning considering the warm yellow hue he was taking in. So he'd been out of it for at least a night…

His mind and body were frustratingly slow to catch up with the urgency he was feeling to find out what had happened to his friend. To spite his body, he forced it up to a slouched-over standing position, immediately falling back down to where he had been lying.

"Crap…"

The tumble cleared his vision a bit and he finally noticed that Robin was sitting beside him, watching him silently.

"Well don't just sit there" he growled "help me up… and where the heck is Luffy?"

Robin just closed her eyes for a moment, as if she was recalling something sad, then opened them again, this time her gaze aimed away from him. He followed it with his own eyes, finally able to see definite shapes.

The first person he recognized was Chopper sleeping a few feet away, close to where a marine was kneeling beside the body of a boy. It took him no time to figure out that it was Luffy he was looking at.

"Luffy… oh gosh."

"He's alive" Robin stated quickly before his mind could fully come to a solid conclusion of what he was seeing.

He didn't respond, but his eyes met hers for an instant, his face sober. Then he struggled up once more, this time successfully staying on his feet. Robin was by his side before he noticed that she had moved, taking his arm to support him without asking permission. He let it go due to his desire to get to his captain's side as fast as possible.

Hardly comprehending what he was seeing, his eyes widened as he saw the marine performing CPR on the prone raven-haired boy before him.

"Wh-what the heck is going on here?" he demanded, falling down beside Luffy, noting how totally lifeless the body appeared.

Chopper was awake now, looking to Robin to explain things to the swordsman this time. He was sick of telling it to be honest and was sure she would understand.

The marine only glanced up as the story began, then returned to CPR with his gaze kept downward.

Fortunately for Robin, Zoro had already seen Luffy's actions on the mountain and had already seen the grave state he was in afterwards; so the news of his captain's condition didn't hit him as hard. Instead, he kept the same angry scowl on his face from the start of the story to the end, like he was disgusted by everything that had happened while he had been lost.

His expression did change when the word "paralyzed" came up; his eyes widening in disbelief as he looked up at Robin like she had told him the island was going to sink into the sea. He didn't speak however, just looking horrified as she finished explaining that the other crewmates had gone with the marines to get the medicine, leaving Chopper and Robin to stay with Luffy since they couldn't handle the seastone that now covered every inch of the base.

"Luffy… he can't be…" Zoro started solemnly, struggling to say the taboo word.

"And he won't be" Robin said calmly, keeping eye-contact with the swordsman, "there's no way to know for sure what will happen, and knowing Luffy, he'll be up and running before we know it."

"Yeah…" Zoro said as he looked away, sulking again.

Robin eyed him somberly, knowing that simply believing in their captain would not remove the horrific concept of a paraplegic Luffy.

Chopper perked up, wanting to add some positive information to the seemingly endless stream of bad news.

"Actually, he's already surprised us. His heart's already begun beating again all on its own now that some of the seastone has left his body, but it was actually a good thing that it was in there for a while. He was without oxygen for almost an hour, which usually would cause anyone to get hypoxia and die, but the seastone caused his body to slow down so much that it didn't have to function as it normally would. Zoro… he literally came back from the dead… and if he's managed to do that much… well darn it he can get past this."

Robin smiled in response to the reindeer's encouraging words, placing her hand on her captain's head. He always worked so hard for them, always went above and beyond what any captain would be expected to give. He was so different from every other captain she had served under, and therefore she had found herself unconsciously picking up his traits. Over all those years of switching from crew to crew, she had truly become her own person, never connecting with anyone so that she could easily escape if betrayal were to happen upon her discovery, but the goodness and purity of the StrawHat crew made it easy to allow her defenses to drop and their attributes had found their way into her heart. She had experienced their joy, trust, kindness, loyalty, and most of all their love. Those small traits proved to become the most treasured gifts she had ever received from anyone.

Silently Zoro gazed down at Luffy, then without another word, he took the boy's hand in his, gripping it tightly as he situated himself comfortably beside his captain, ready to stay there until he awoke again.

- Canaan and Sky -

"This new ability of yours has turned out to be pretty darn handy lately" Canaan said as he paused from hammering down the hardened seastone at the entrance of the base. He spoke to Sky who had discovered that he was capable of manipulating hardened seastone as well, lifting the broken prism and flying it out of the way as the demolition of the now solid magma was underway.

"Yeah" the boy mumbled back. He was sitting against a tree, resting for the most part, but still lifting more weight than anyone with his newfound abilities. He was the envy of the others who had to break the solid slab of hardened magma into small pieces and carry them out of the way, but most of the men worked without complaint despite their weariness from the battle the day before.

There was a halfheartedness in Sky's tone that caught Canaan's attention and he looked back at his young friend.

"You ok Sky?"

The boy spoke without pausing from his work "do you think this is wise?"

The older marine cocked an eyebrow at his friend before sending his sledgehammer down into the seastone once more, breaking the slab into five large pieces.

"What'y mean?"

"I mean…" the boy looked around before continuing "… getting this medicine out of the base. From what we've observed from Luffy's physical behavior, his body won't be able to feel anything even after he wakes up… he'll be a soul stuck in a dead body…" Sky looked uncomfortable but sincere in his concern. "From what I've seen from him, a life like that would be worse than Hell itself. He already accepted death, but I don't know if he's ever considered lifeless life as a consequence of his actions."

Canaan paused from his hammering and sauntered over to his young friend, plopping down beside him under the shade of a tall pine.

"I know that you have Mugiwara's best interest at heart Sky, and your logic tells you that the kindest action we could take for him would be to let him die as he had planned originally… but life and death is not our right to choose for someone. Life is sacred, and we can't just take it from someone because we worry for their future happiness. Hardship is something we all deserve a chance to face."

"But what about all those commanders we killed yesterday? Was their life not sacred?" Sky questioned.

"It was sacred" Canaan answered "but we were forced to choose between their lives or those of our friends. Blood was going to be spilt, and we had the choice of it being ours or theirs and we chose theirs."

Sky pondered that for a moment, then threw some more seastone out of the way.

"I just don't want to be around when he finds out…"

"Don't give up hope Sky. Remember, just a few hours ago we thought Mugiwara was dead."

With that, Canaan got up and returned to his work, leaving the young marine to his own thoughts.

- Usopp, Sanji and Nami -

"I never wanted to come back here" Nami said bitterly as they crawled through the small opening into the dark hallway of the underground base.

"You telling me!" Usopp exclaimed "do recall that the last time I was in here I almost died!"

"Well it's a first time for me" Sanji said as he flicked on his lighter and peered into the darkness "sounded like a delightful place to be so I was a bit disappointed that I had to miss out."

"I guess the other two prison cells weren't enough for ya" Usopp chuckled.

"I suppose they were starting to feel like home."

"Try and focus guys" Nami sighed, pulling a light up to the map "we need to hurry up and find this medication… I just hope it survived the volcano implosion."

- Zoro, Luffy, Robin and Chopper -

Zoro hadn't realized he had fallen asleep until he awoke to the sound of a crowd coming his way. When he opened his eyes he noted that it was late evening and, for a moment, was disappointed that he hadn't done any training at all that day. Then he felt his captain's hand in his own and remembered why he had stayed there. He had to be there for Luffy. What good was being the greatest swordsman in the world when he couldn't protect his captain?

"Oi! Zoro you're awake!" Usopp cheered as he came to the first-mate's side.

Zoro raised his head, as somber as he was, he couldn't help but feel the excitement build inside of him at the thought of moving Luffy's healing process along. However, there was also a sense of dread about the procedure, that small chance that Luffy would not come back as his old self.

"Yeah" he replied, making a point not to sound as worried as he was.

"He's still holding on" Chopper said lightly as their tired crewmates came walking up with the rest of the crowd of marines who were looking curiously at the dark-haired boy before them. Everyone was dirty and worn, but there was a united excitement due to the miraculous survival of the young pirate and their own success in battle. It was nice to have them sharing in on the optimism.

Alvida came rushing forward, taking the container that Sanji was carrying in his arms.

Silently she opened it up and shuffled through the small number of vials and jars, pulling out a larger glass filled with a clear but thick liquid, as well as a jar of pills. Both had nonsensical writing on their labels but she seemed to know what they were as she opened the two containers, grinding the pills into powder and dumping them into the clear liquid and, upon sealing it, shook it violently until the powder was diluted enough to be invisible.

Everyone just watched curiously (aside from Canaan, who paced at a distance with a scowl on his face). Zoro, as much as he despised Alvida, was glad she hadn't wasted time explaining anything, but cut right to the chase.

Soon she was pulling out a syringe and filling it with the concoction as she made her way to his captain's side. The man performing CPR paused to give her some room as she took the boy's arm, turning it so that his wrist was aiming upward.

"Are you sure you want me to do this?" she asked before injecting the needle into his vein.

Everyone knew she was speaking to the small pirate crew, and Zoro was taken off-guard by the question. He had always been a very decisive person by nature and though he knew his answer would always be yes regarding his captain's life, he was struck by the concept of letting Luffy die. Despite the boy's unnatural way he managed to bounce back from every injury or sickness, there was still the risk in reviving him.

The swordsman then allowed his mind think on what he would want had he been in Luffy's position. Long ago he had accepted the fact that he could die in his quest for his dream, for his promise, and he knew his captain had done the same. Many times the two of them had faced that risk with bold recklessness… but never had the idea of living without the ability to attain that dream crossed his mind; to not even be physically capable of striving for it. Just the thought of it made him doubt their decision to bring back the boy lying before him.

_No! I will not think that way. Luffy must live, he must survive. He'll pull through this. And darn it, if he can't become pirate king himself, we'll friggin do it for him._

Bringing himself back to the present he realized that someone had already given consent and that Alvida had already injected the serum into the dark-haired boy's arm. He was glad that someone else had taken the responsibility.

"So what were those pills?" Nami asked as Alvida returned Luffy's arm back to the ground.

"They were painkillers and muscle relaxants" came the response as the woman began to repack the supplies back into the container, "I figured it would be best to use them even if he doesn't have any feeling in his body."

"Why the heck didn't you use the painkillers in the base?" yelled Canaan. "Afraid it would mess with your little experiment?"

Alvida flinched at the bitterness in his tone but turned her large eyes to rest on his.

"We did give him painkillers" she replied "if we hadn't he might have died from it. His discomfort was no-where near as bad as it would have been had we simply given the medication to him straight up."

"Discomfort doesn't even begin to describe it" he spat back, though a little calmer than his initial accusation.

"Hey guys…" interrupted the marine who had been doing CPR on the pirate "… his heart rate has increased to an unstable rate, should we be doing something about that?"

Everyone came closer, ignoring any rule of personal space as they all anxiously waited to see if there had been a change of expression on the boy's face, and waited to see if he his lungs would kick back into action.

"No" Alvida answered "his heart can take a lot more than a regular persons so just let it do its job."

Suddenly Luffy gasped, surprising everyone who had been anxiously waiting for him to give a reaction to the medication.

"Oh thank God" Nami cried out, placing a hand gently on her captain's cheek, which was now wet with perspiration.

His chest rose and fell rapidly as his lungs seemed to be trying to make up for their lack of use over the last day. Breaths came out in rhythmic puffs as his body began to react to the alien substance coursing through its veins.

Still, there was no change in expression on his face, his eyebrows gently furrowed, unconscious to everything that was taking place.

Had it been any other case, the small crew would have been overjoyed at his peace through the procedure, but his calm expression sent stabs of fear into each of their chests. The fear was heightened as they looked down to see the boy's muscles twisting and cramping under his skin, his body beginning to shiver from exertion.

"Luffy…" Chopper said pathetically, tears welling up in his big round eyes once again.

"Start massaging the cramps out of his arms and legs" Alvida instructed, ashamed when the crewmates jumped to obey her order. They should never have had to take any orders from her, but they obeyed without complaint for the sake of their captain; the captain she had brought this upon.

Canaan turned from the scene before him, suddenly overwhelmed as the memories of three days earlier came crashing back on him. He remembered Luffy running himself to utter exhaustion for the sake of a man he had hardly met; remembered massaging the cramps out of the worn boy's legs as he longed for his crew. No one that kindhearted and good should have ever been forced to experience such torture… and now this. Paralyzed… not Luffy. Anyone but Luffy. He remembered the kid scampering around the room, bored out of his mind having been forced to sit still. How happy he had been when Canaan had suggested hide-and-seek, implying that he often played it with is crew on the ship.

It was so wrong, and what made it worse was the fact that the whole thing had started with the marines ignorantly capturing his crewmates, not knowing the consequences of their actions until it was too late.

Worried that he would lose his composure in front of his men, Canaan made his way out of the camp, finding himself alone in the woods. There was a faint blue hue to forest now as twilight broke out across the sky. Soon it would be dark. Surely no-one would notice him missing from the crowd for a few minutes, and by the time they found him it would be nightfall and he would be hard to see.

With that in mind, he let the thick tears that he had kept at bay for the last few hours finally break free and pour down his face. He needed to be strong for his men… for the Straw Hat crew. Someone had to stay strong when everyone else was filled with questions and regret, but just for a moment he needed this.

Then he chuckled at himself. Why was he already so upset? Luffy hadn't even woken up yet and there was still a big chance he would come back his old self.

Sighing, he sat down and rubbed his head. He was anxious to get back to see how the captain was doing, but for some reason, be it his pride or his fear of seeing what the outcome was, he couldn't get himself to go back to the camp, so instead he leaned back against a tree trunk and looked up at the now-visible stars, sending another prayer up for his new friend.

TBC…

Thanks for reading and even more-so for reviewing! It's amazing to see this fic coming to a close T_T kinda melodramatic. Once again though, it's all thanks to the encouragement of you guys who take the time to let me know you want more. I do hope you stick with me to the end ^_^

This was a bit tamer of a cliffhanger (I'm trying to be better, really).

XFangHeartX- Next chapter we shall see... hehehehee. No no! You didn't seem unappreciative! and even if you did I would have been grateful for the review anyways!

WezL- I like the way you think :) he needs someone to be strong for him. Sorry I didn't reveal his condition in this chapter, but the next one for sure! (I enjoy writing Luffy's POV best, so I'm glad you liked it)

HeroR- Awesome! I love how observant you were with my earlier chapters to pick up on that ^_^ I guess you're right about Sanji not yelling at a woman, but I do feel that he can be quick tempered when it come's to harm of his crewmates, and I thought him yelling at Alvida would emphasize the stress of the moment. I'll try harder to keep everyone in character though :) thank you so much for coming back and reviewing again! Any more tips or advice I'd love to hear.

The Strike Freedom- YAY! Thank you! That's totally cool, and I can only appreciate it more that you came back :)

Neko11- I'm glad ur computer is working again (my main computer is getting zapped at the moment), and yay for a nice long review! makes my day it really does! I do love writing from Luffy's POV best, and have missed it these last few chapters (though variety is good I guess). We'll have to wait and see if he's physically capable of kicking anyone's butt before we wonder how he's gonna handle Alvida :) *is super evil* AWWWW! I'm pretty sure my fav thing to hear from anyone is that they are liking my OCs. I'm so happy you liked Canaan being there T_T feel free to be optimistic about Luffy (though I shall make no promises). I'm also glad you liked the Sanji scene! It is a bit unlike him to get ticked at a woman, but (as I said to HeroR) I felt it would emphasize the stress of the moment. and i love me some angry Sanji CX and if there's something wrong with you, there's something wrong with me (and there probably is)... anyways! Thank you so much for the encouragement! Do enjoy the rest of the fic Neko!

Bean is too lazy to log in- LOL! I love the name you used! fanart O_O for me! I would be so honored! I only do fan art for the fics I really like, so for that to even be a thought for u really makes me happy :) and thank you so much for the encouraging review

(no name)- If u missed it in this chapter, the seastone cause his heart to stop for a while... (be it an illogical explanation XD I hope it's good enough) Thank you so much ^_^ like I said, I tried to lighten up on the cliffhanger this time, though there's still the question of Luffy's condition... anyhows, Thank you so much! Though you made me doubt my productivity in life... it does seem like I don't have anything better to do... that's the thing. I'm about to go off to college and have a TON of stuff to get done before I go, so I write fanfiction to procrastinate and ignore what needs to be done XD maybe I should slow down.

caring16- don't hate me, though I probably deserve it after putting the SH crew through so much crap -_-' I love you're reaction to the fic ^_^ I'm glad it's getting exciting for you and I hope you enjoy it to the end. (which isn't far now)

Tare-chan- Thank you again for being awesome and letting me know you're enjoying the story :) Hopefully more on the way soon.

Shira- why hello Shira :) I'm glad it's driving you crazy ^_^ (does that make me some kinda jerk) I already have an ending outlined and ready to go but I need to finish writing it. Very close to the end now though. Let's just say **spoiler**... *big spoiler, like, don't read and I don't know why I'm telling you this spoiler* I wanted to put something on the crew that would hit them more emotionally than anything else, so I'm really gonna be messing with them in the next few chapters. Thank you so much for the encouraging review! Do stick it out to the end with me ^_^

darkness34- LOL! Probably one of my fav reviews ever. XD It would be awful wouldn't it :) absolutely horrible. Thank you for making my day ^_^

Kitty-bandit- sheesheeshee, I'm glad you're taking the news so well XD and I'm so glad I could give you a nice relaxing read after a hard night of homework (soon I'll be joining you) and it must be nice to have a sibling who likes OP, none of my friends or family like the manga (I say they judged it before they read it). After all these chapters, do you really think I like Luffy-angst? Where did you get such a ridiculous idea? sheesheeshee *drinks tea* and YAY! You liked the Orrin scene! I just melt with happiness when I hear my OCs are liked T_T it means soooo much! It really makes my day so thank you for making my day (once again. man, you just make this so much more fun to write) Thank you, and I hope you enjoy/survive these last few... delightful... chapters. :)

mto92- You're right, that's why I did it :) wanted to try something that would really mess things up (cause I'm terrible and unkind to the ones I love) ... and thank you for reviewing! I hope you enjoy the rest of the fic ^_^

Thank you all for reading! And a special thanks to all of my encouraging reviewers! The reason I finally managed to get this fic to its end.


	56. Waking

Song listened to while writing: "Breathe Me" by Sia

- Sky and Paul -

The two marines, as tired as they were, couldn't sleep. It wasn't unusual for them to have both found each other up in the middle of the night being that they were practically brothers, having been raised by Canaan after traumatic childhoods. He never treated them like kids, but rather a comrade he would train, but subtly they had both come to an acceptance of him as their authority figure.

For that reason, they seemed to share some kind of inner wavelength of restlessness or serenity. Tonight it was restlessness that they shared as they looked at each other from where they had been resting.

"Can't sleep?" Paul mumbled, scooting up on his elbows.

Sky responded with a nod.

"Me neither."

Sky's eyes turned to where the Straw Hat crew remained a few yards away; they had left them several hours ago in case the captain woke up. He would need his space and would need the first faces he saw to be his nakama.

"Think it would be ok if we snuck over there to see how it's going?"

"One way to find out" Sky mumbled, pushing himself up off of the cot he had been lying on.

The two friends silently trekked over to the group of the pirates who could be seen only by the light of the campfire nearby. Each of the crew members had fallen asleep, drained by the stress and physical exertion of the past few days.

The marine's couldn't help but smile at the sight of them all huddled together, each one of them snuggled up close to the dark-haired boy at their center whose face remained peaceful despite the erratic pants and gasps of air that came from his heaving chest.

"Looks like he's holding on" Paul said silently to his friend, who had lazily closed his blind eye and sighed.

"It's nice to see him breathing on his own again" Sky replied in an equally quiet voice.

"If he doesn't wake up as his old self soon I'm gonna kick his butt after all the crap I went through to rescue it."

Sky sighed, sitting down where he was and continuing to look over the small crew.

"I wish I could get the rest of the seastone out of his body. That's the reason he's not feeling anything… it's gotten into his nervous system and apparently merged with him permanently…" he brought his hands to his head and was quiet.

Paul put a hand on his shoulder and plopped down next to him.

"We don't know if it's going to really paralyze him yet Sky, and you did the best you could so there's no reason to feel guilty… You saved his life ya know."

"I can feel the seastone in his system, it's still there" Sky whispered bitterly, " I want so bad to just pull it out of him but it's fused with his blood. I didn't say anything about it because I didn't want to add any more doubt and stress to the crew but he won't be able to do what he used to, I can tell you that much."

Paul's blue eyes narrowed at this new piece of information, partially wishing that Sky had kept that news from him as well.

"Well I haven't given up on a miracle yet" he finally responded, remembering what Canaan had said about faith.

"I guess I'd better not give up on it either, cause I've got nothing else to… I've got nothing else to help me believe the guy's gonna be ok."

- Luffy and Co. -

It was morning when Luffy started to show signs of waking up. The crew had already awoken and returned to watching over him anxiously, overjoyed to see him lazily blink his eyes open and let out a huge yawn.

He didn't move.

At first he let his eyes wonder around, clearly not fully awake but more conscious than he had been for the last two days. They were crowded by the other curious marines who were also anxious to see how the boy was faring but didn't mind as their attention was narrowly centered on their captain.

Only when Luffy's eyes met those of his marksman and historian did he seem to touch with reality, a weak but sincere grin crossing his face. Everyone knew that knowing that he had successfully saved them from the volcanic implosion was the first thing he would want to be sure of, and it was clear he had figured it out by the relief in his expression.

Still, he didn't move.

"How-" he began, his words slurred "-how am I alive?" he asked, a curious look on his face.

It was a simple question, but it struck every one of his crewmates like a physical blow. The fact that he had truly expected to die up on that mountain reminded them of how much he had truly been willing to sacrifice for their safety.

"Zoro and Sanji rescued you" Nami answered with a smile. "And the marines brought you guys down here to safety."

"Mmm" Luffy mumbled in response, his reaction less than what they had expected from the usually enthusiastic boy. His mind seemed to be on something else than his miraculous survival.

"Why cn't I feel n'thing?"

There was a long period of silence as everyone struggled to form the answer while all of their fears of the last few hours became reality. Luffy seemed too out of it to notice the awkward silence, slowly opening and closing his eyes, seeming not to be very impatient to get a response.

"Luffy…" Nami finally spoke, her voice breaking a bit as she forced a positive tone "when you fell into the seastone magma, a lot of it got inside of you…", she was explaining in a way he would understand, " …and it's messing with your ability to feel. We're counting on it leaving your system but for now you won't be able to move or feel anything."

Luffy frowned, clearly unhappy with the idea.

"But we're all safe Luffy" Chopper added in quickly "and we'll be with ya all the way."

The boy's face seemed to relax a bit but he still looked troubled.

"We did it Luffy" Usopp said proudly "we beat'm! The base is destroyed and soon we'll be sailing the Grand Line again. You just get better ya hear?"

Zoro was glad that the others were doing all of the talking and successfully making light of the situation. He wondered how he would have handled it if they hadn't been there. Though, there was a twinge of guilt as he thought about how they hadn't mentioned that the seastone should have left Luffy's body hours ago. If it didn't leave soon they would be forced to tell the boy the truth about the severity of his condition… and that scared him more than anything he'd faced before.

Yet, there was s knowing look in the boy's eye; a fear that he was hiding very well but not well enough to get past Zoro's perception. Perhaps Luffy had picked up on the "we're counting on it leaving your system" and was just going along with the tone of his encouraging crewmates.

"In that case" Luffy spoke up, awake enough now to seem almost perky "I'm gonna need a lot of meat! Sanji!"

"Coming right up Luffy" Sanji said happily, rushing off to retrieve the food he had already prepared.

"Usopp, Chopper, you guys need to keep an eye on my right hand" Luffy demanded in a commanding tone, as if the order was of utmost importance, "I'm gonna focus really hard on moving it so you guys are gonna let me know the second it even twitches. Can you do that for me?"

"Aye Aye captain!" they both responded, saluting enthusiastically and narrowing their eyes on the limp hand at his side.

"Where's my hat?" he suddenly exclaimed, realizing it wasn't on his head.

"Right here Luffy-san" Robin said with a smile, placing the straw hat under his left hand.

It was just like any other time the boy had woken up after a life threatening battle. He asked questions about what had happened after he "passed out," asked how many days it had been, asked where the heck Zoro had been the whole time (which, unbeknownst to the boy, was like a punch in the gut to the first-mate, despite how he had been lost most of that time), and asked about how he had been rescued.

Everyone else acted normal as well, though they all knew a part of it was a charade to hide the panic they were feeling upon seeing their fully conscious friend completely unable to move. Earlier it had been just words; simply an idea that would easily be doubted or argued against, but now it was actually happening before their eyes.

Soon Sanji had returned with several plates of food on both of his arms and his head with several marines following behind with more servings.

"Bon'apatete" he said as he laid the dishes around his captain, immediately finding a way to make the situation fun.

"Who wants to feed Luffy first?"

"Hey hey! Let Chopper do it Sanji!" Luffy answered first "Usopp'll put something awful in it!"

"Aw come on Luffy" Usopp whined "don't you want your meal to be an adventure? And besides, I bet I can stuff more food in your mouth at once than Chopper."

"Oh, good point" Luffy said as the light bulb went on in his head "I'll need to eat a whole lot really fast if I want to get better faster."

"Hey!" Chopper squeaked in protest "I can shove food just as quickly as he can, if not faster!"

"It's a contest then" Sanji announced, lifting two forks "though I guess you won't be needing these if you're serious about this."

"Just be careful" Alvida suddenly interjected timidly, causing every eye to turn her way, "there's a chance his body won't be rubber anymore- until the seastone leaves his system so just don't put in as much as you normally would."

Sanji scowled at her, hating that the lightheartedness of the contest had been broken by her reminder of their captain's condition. He knew what she said was necessary so that Luffy wouldn't choke or get hurt, but still he hated her for it.

There was a moment of discomfort and even Luffy seemed to be at a loss as to how to react to what she had said, but he was the one to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Oi! Alvida, what the heck are you doing here? (Chopper, gimme some steak.)"

"Uh, well…" she stuttered as Luffy began to chow down on the steak the reindeer had placed in his mouth "Orrin and I got out of the base after you… well… you know… and when we got here I helped your crew get you back… but now… well, I hope I can help you get better."

"Do you want us to beat her up Luffy?" Usopp whispered into his captain's ear as he stole a potato for himself.

"Hmmmm" Luffy muffled back through a mouth full of meat and bread, "well, I gueb owl waib t' see ib I ged bedder."

As incoherent as the boy's voice had been through the mask of the food in his mouth, everyone had figured out the gist of what he had said and it also answered their own questions as to how much he had figured out for himself regarding his condition. He knew there was a chance that he wouldn't be able to move again and had acted happily ignorant of it for their sake.

Now it was their turn to act ignorant in order to keep the lighthearted feel going as long as possible.

"Alright" Usopp replied, sitting back and yanking some biscuits from the reindeer's hooves and shoving them into Luffy's mouth. He seemed to be working extra hard to get the food down at his usual rate, but was clearly struggling to even keep up with their slowed pace, but they didn't want to slow down for the sake of his pride. They wanted him to think that they thought no different of him and wanted him to see that they would expect the same traits he had earlier to be coming back despite his… more human state.

As the meal continued, everyone joined in, all of the marines awestruck by the quality of Sanji's cooking, complaining to their own chefs about how they'd never gotten anything so mouthwatering. It wasn't a celebration though, that would be reserved for when (or if) the dark-haired captain was fully recovered. Instead, they all shared stories about their own victories in battle and asked about the pirates' adventures. Sky, Paul and Canaan had each come by and personally congratulated Luffy on his successful rescue of his crewmates and bragged about their bravery in combat. Luffy and Canaan talked like old friends making the others wonder what had happened between them while they were prisoners together.

Canaan enjoyed talking with the pirate much more now that they were both free men than in the depressing prison cell, and for a while allowed himself to forget that the boy was crippled. Little was shared with the others regarding what had taken place while Luffy had been tested on, partially for Alvida's sake, partially for both of their dignity.

Soon though, the meal came to a slow end and the marines went off to take care of the various responsibilities needed to be taken care of the get the base up and running again, mainly removing the hardened seastone that covered every inch of the small town. Canaan took charge once again, having the men focus mainly on clearing out more of the medical facilities to care for the rest of the injured men in need of additional assistance. Food was also becoming scarce from the supply that had been scrounged from the quick escape, so that was the next job.

Zoro and Sanji joined in the work, both wanting to get their minds off of the depressing situation they were being faced with. As much as they wanted to stay by their captain's side through his healing, they didn't want to baby him.

Zoro had been the first to volunteer, which immediately spurred the cook to follow along. The swordsman glared back at the blond, his eyes blatantly reading "you-stay-with-the-captain,-I'll-do-the-big-boy-jobs."

"Oh don't worry" Sanji spoke past Zoro to the marine they were talking to "I can blast through more magma than anyone. Better watch out for this guy though" he said pointing a thumb towards the swordsman "he gets lightheaded as soon as he touches the stuff."

"What'd you say?" Zoro growled, bringing his snarling face up to Sanji, whose expression remained pompous and degrading.

"Don't get upset Marimo" he taunted "I just had to save your sorry butt up there. In fact, I think you should be showing me a bit more respect than you've been showing lately."

"Why you- I should drag you up there and throw you in! Then we'll see who deserves respect!"

"Maybe if you'd-"

"Errr, guys…" the marine interrupted cautiously "perhaps you could-"

"Shut up!" they both yelled in unison, causing the man to jerk back in surprise.

Suddenly they both went flying forward having been smacked in the head by a devilish-looking Nami.

"Will you guys just get to work and stop freaking out this poor guy!"

"Oi-" Zoro moaned, rubbing the growing bump on his head "if anyone's scaring him it's you."

"WHAT'D YOU SAY?"

"See for yourself" he answered defensively, raising his arms up to block whatever onslaught was coming his way.

The navigator was about to throw a boulder in his direction, but upon glancing where the marine had been earlier, she realized the man was hiding behind a tree in fear.

Sighing, she put the boulder down; figuring that her two crewmates would be of better use if they weren't mortally injured.

"Ok then, the three of you get out of here and get to work" she commanded "and if you two even think about fighting, don't let it distract you from your responsibilities."

"As you wish Nami-swaaaann!" Sanji declared, grabbing the man and dashing off to where the other men were preparing for their work.

"What a shmuck" Zoro sighed as he got to his feet and brushed himself off.

"We'll let you guys know if there's any change in Luffy's condition" Nami said, her tone becoming more somber.

"Thanks" he replied, turning and following the trail the cook had made through the small allotment of trees.

- Luffy and Usopp -

"Ugggg!" Luffy whined pursing his lips "this is soooo lame! I'm bored!"

"Well if you'd hurry up and get moving you wouldn't have this problem" Usopp retorted humorously "I've been watching that hand for the past six hours and haven't gotten squat. Put your back into it Luffy."

The marksman knew it was risky to joke about his friend's condition, but he counted on Luffy's sense of humor to make the situation as non-serious as possible.

"I'm tryin" Luffy pouted "but that doesn't mean I'm not bored."

"We could arm-wrestle" Usopp suggested with a grin "it will be my one chance to beat you, and then I could hold it over your head from this day forward."

"I'd probably still beat you" Luffy chuckled, cocking an eyebrow at the marksman "… hmmmm, OH! I KNOW! I challenge you to a tickling contest!"

"Tickling contest?"

"Yeah, I'd kick your butt at one of those right now!"

"Why does it have to be a game I'm gonna lose?"

"Cause I'm the captain and I get to make these decisions."

"You wouldn't be able to win either moron."

"Crap! Foiled!"

"You just now figured that out?"

"Just cause you tricked me you crafty liar!"

"This was your idea!"

"Yeah… well… CHOPPER! Get over here and help me beat Usopp at a tickling contest!"

"You can't call in a substitute!"

"Like I said, I'm the captain- Chopper!"

"Being captain doesn't mean you can just make new rules!"

"You called Luffy?" Chopper chimed in.

"Chopper, you're substitute me. Usopp and I are having a tickle contest so the first to call mercy is the loser. Get him!"

There was no question in response to his captain as the reindeer immediately grew to his large human form and lunged at his horrified crewmate.

"Oi oi oi! Chopper! You know this isn't fair you dirty raccoon!" Usopp shouted in panic as he barely escaped the deer's fingers.

"Come on Usopp" Luffy taunted with his tongue out "make me call mercy!"

- Supper time -

Sanji and Zoro returned with the rest of the men, both totally spent after making a contest of who could demolish and remove the most seastone magma from the base. They had almost injured some of their fellow-workers in the process as they sent tons of hardened prism flying in every direction; Sky having to save two or three men who found themselves in the path of a few of the large projectiles.

Exhausted, Zoro plopped down with the rest of his crewmates, who had spent most of the day entertaining Luffy and caring for him (as subtly as possible). Sanji, as tired as he was, went over to help with the cooking, however the marine cooks seemed to have become bitter about the comments of the men earlier and were adamant to prove their skills in the area of providing the meal. He didn't argue, glad to have a respite.

Once again the whole base circled around the still-unmoving boy, enjoying the time to relax after working all day. It was more quiet that evening than the morning when Luffy had first woken up. The ever-present fear of his diagnosis had become the dominant thought on everyone's mind, so though they tried to carry on in usual festive conversation, there were often long pauses of uncomfortable silence.

After the meal everyone turned in for the night, full and ready for shut-eye. Some of them returned to the sleeping quarters that had been cleared out at the base, while some brought their mattresses and pillows back up the slope to stay with the crew (Canaan, Sky, Paul, and Jason being a part of that group). Mattresses and blankets were also brought up for the pirates as well since they wouldn't come back down to the base due to the still dominant aroma of seastone that filled every inch of the lower ground.

Luffy had showed no signs of movement the whole day, yet denial still held strong in each of their hearts. The horror of thinking of how to deal with Luffy as a paraplegic was something everyone was willing to put off for a bit longer. So with a few encouraging words to the captain and some lighthearted talk of future plans, they headed to bed.

Zoro sat closest to their captain, remaining awake even after the lights of the fires had gone out and the snores of his crewmates filled the air. He was exhausted but with each minute that Luffy remained unmoving, that nagging fear of the seastone's affect being permanent kept his mind churning with what that would mean for them.

Most of all though, he worried for how Luffy was really taking the situation. It had been a relief to see the boy sharing in their optimism and to see him even smile and laugh on occasion, but Zoro knew how to read his captain better than anyone, and had seen how some of the happiness Luffy had shown was forced.

So silently he sat, watching his young friend sleep quietly… which meant that he wasn't really asleep at all.

TBC…

I'm so close T_T so so close to the end I can taste it, but I doubt I can make it before I go to college. I guess I can finish it afterwards. It's been a good distraction from my present responsibilities, so I'm counting on it distracting me from my future responsibilities.

It makes my day to read your reviews :) So thank you all, again, for being awesome.

XFangHeartX- i'm glad myself ^_^ and I am a big fan of LuNa, though this is not a LuNa fic (I do have a fic titled "Rain" if you want to read that one though. thanks again for all of the support so far!

Bean is still lazy and FF hates Bean- oh my gosh, I seriously love ur names. I was like, "oh.. so Bean hates OCs..." *sad face*... oh wait... YAY! thank you so much!

Tare-chan- indeed, now efforts can be made for his recovery :) but... will there be recovery? Thanks Tare ^_^

HeroR- whew -_- I do have a lot to fix, and I hope to, once this fic is over, go back and re-write this fic. A lot of what I did in those earlier chapters wasn't so much based on being like the series and more for satisfying my own desires of what I wanted the characters to do. Though now I've been making a point to keep it more accurate, so you're critiques will come in handy when I go back and fix things. as for my use of language, believe me it's hard not to include those words, as it is very prominent in every chapter if OP I read. I'm actually a Christian and since the Bible says not to use vulgarity, well, I make a point not to use it. Thank you for continuing to read and review my fic, and for the helpful advice you've given (I hope you can see that I've been taking it to thought).

sess18- thank you for reviewing! I hope you enjoy these last few chapters :)

darkness34- Whew, saved! Though the fact that you have a firing squad on hand is a bit intimidating _ i sure hope you enjoy this last bit of the story... or I'll be in trouble. may the next few depressing chapters continue to calm your nerves though Highschool. thanks again :)

Llaelien- I did miss you :) nice to have you back. I'm glad the chapter moved you. woooo Chile! Cool ^_^ well greetings from North Carolina. I hope you enjoy these last few chapters.

WezL- All I'll say is to wait for the next chapter :) I really can't thank you enough for your support these last few chapters.

mto92- keep up the faith (though I make no promises ^_^) you're welcome, your reviews make the updates a lot easier to make.

EALM528- lol, it's not pathetic. Just forgetful or lazy (which are both totally acceptable in the FF world) I usually don't want to sign in when I review other fanfics (but for some crazy reason I do it every time) XD Thank you so much for being so supportive and for reminding me to keep working on this to the end :) ur reviews have made me very happy.

Recordatio001- no problem, I'm so happy to read your reviews and the fact that you take time to write them means so much. I suppose tonsilitis is a reasonable excuse for not reviewing. and I'm glad you're feeling better ^_^ enjoy the rest of the fic!

luffylover6673- YAY!, I'm so glad you like it :D I don't want to spoil anything, but to be honest I also value the knowledge of the crew regarding Luffy's suffering, so... _ all I can say is to be patient. You have great taste, do you know any other OP fanfictions you think I'd enjoy reading. thanks so much for taking time to review! and do enjoy the rest of the fic.

caring16- I didn't make you wait too long ;) though I wonder if I'm making you rusty on your waiting ability when I keep updating like this. Also, I'd love you to re-read it! I'm planning on re-writing the earlier chapters cause they were really rusty anyway. yes yes! write a fic! i'd love to read it ^_^

Anime lover 3593- wow, and here I thought I'd been so crafty about it... oh well -_-' your review made me so happy! and I'm so glad you've enjoyed my fic and my art ^_^ Thank you for reviewing me to let me know. I hope you enjoy these last few chapters :)

Thank you all for reading! please stick with me to the end.


	57. Let the Cruel Past be Forgotten

Zinfer, how many reviews have been given now?

"It's over 400!" wow thanks guys! Really!

Song listened to while compiling- Broken- by Seether and Amy Lee (I should put something bright and cheery up here just to shake things up a bit). aaannndd... Fireflies by Owl City ^_^ (lets say that's at the beginning).

- The next morning, Alvida and Orrin -

"That's suicide!" Orrin shouted at Alvida, clearly disapproving of her idea.

"They need to know Orrin" she replied, standing firm on her decision to take the Straw Hat crew to see the last of the video recordings of the experiments done on their captain.

"I think they have a pretty good idea as it is" the red-haired man argued, motioning with his arms toward the camp. We're lucky they've let you off this easy."

"Lucky? Darn it Orrin, that's just it! I'm the reason they're suffering like this. I don't deserve to be "lucky"."

"I just got you back Alvida! I worked way to friggin hard to get you back just so you can go beg those pirates to kill you for what you did."

"Well, I'm not that easy to kill" she countered "I'm a devil-fruit user myself in case you forgot."

"You're not invincible though" he mumbled, casting his gaze down.

"Hey, they probably won't try to hurt me anyway" Alvida added "if I recall correctly, they owe you big time for the rescue of their captain, so they'd probably honor your wishes and leave me alive."

"So why show them if not for some sick justice upon yourself? I don't think it'll make them very happy either."

"Because justice is based on an understanding of the crime" she answered, her voice stern. "I don't want to die, but they still need to know what they are really letting me off the hook from."

Orrin spat; why now did she have to develop some crazy value in the morals she had ignored for so long?

"Fine" he growled "but I'm going with you."

- Luffy -

Something about waking up the next morning to no change in Luffy's condition almost broke whatever hope his crew had been holding on to since his awakening the day before. They'd woken up, and for a glorious moment they believed the whole problem had been a dream and that they'd turn their heads to see Luffy bouncing around, anxious to get back to the Merry and to set sail once more. However, they all came to the same realization that the likelihood of their captain's recovering had slimmed a considerable amount since the day before.

The worst of it was the lack of enthusiasm on Luffy's part over breakfast. Sanji had prepared him a massive amount of scrambled eggs with bacon and muffins on the side; and though he was appreciative, he seemed a little down-spirited as he was being fed, this time by Robin.

He couldn't play off amusement with his immobility for much longer, and no-one pushed it.

"Hey Luffy" Canaan called out as he, Paul and Sky came walking up in hiking gear, "wanna come hiking with us?"

The boy cocked an eye at the bunch.

"Is that supposed to be a marine attempt at a joke?"

"Ouch" Paul winced sarcastically at the remark "are you gonna take that that Canaan?"

"Heck no" the brown-haired elite answered, keeping his eyes on the pirate in front of them "guess we'll have to take him along to show him we don't joke about hiking. In fact, we taking hiking very seriously, and now that he went and blew up the mountain we're going to have to re-learn all of that terrain over again."

"You're right" Sky added "he needs to see all of the trouble he's caused us."

"Oi, guys" Luffy interrupted in annoyance "I can't friggin move, so you know I can't hike anywhere."

"Who said you were hiking?" Sky questioned innocently, turning to look at Paul as the blue-eyed marine stepped forward.

"We, good sir, will be your royal steeds on this expedition" he announced with a bow.

"Seriously?" Luffy asked, clearly amused by the proposal.

"You don't think we'd let you leave the island without giving you a tour of the place?" Canaan asked, walking over to the pirate and lifting his limp body from the ground, being sure to keep his head supported.

It was the first time Luffy had been moved from that spot and Canaan saw for an instant a look of shame cross the boy's face as his body hung lifelessly in the marine's arms. This time it didn't leave as quickly as his other hints, but as soon as they were upright he had gone back to his curious expression.

"Figured you were getting bored of the scenery around here and it would really be a crime if we didn't show you around" Paul explained, as he pulled out a couple feet of cloth.

"OI! Hey- what'r you doin?" Luffy protested but in a more curious tone than objecting as he was flipped around and placed on Canaan's back.

"Strapping you in" Sky answered in amusement as they tied the dark-haired boy to Canaan's back.

The curious look on Luffy's face was replaced with amusement and excitement about the field trip.

"We'll need snacks" he said happily.

Sky grabbed a few apples and rolls and put them into his backpack.

"Well we'll need more snacks than that" Luffy complained, his tone indicating that he couldn't believe the boy would even think that was enough food.

The marine cocked an eyebrow at him as he grabbed two large hunks of meat, a pound cake, and four bottles of water and shoved them into the sack (which was no small feat). Sanji had left quite a feast around with the hopes of making the captain as happy as possible so that whenever he had a hunger for anything he could just get someone to grab whatever his heart desired when he got hungry. Of course, the cook might have put it there as an incentive to get Luffy moving again as well.

By the time the four marines were ready to go the young pirate was bubbling with excitement, ready to get moving again (even if it wasn't his own body).

"What about the others?" Luffy asked, wondering where his crewmates where.

"Believe it or not, they're with Alvida" Sky responded. "Said that they were checking out the base together and Alvida insisted they all be there."

"Oh yeah, that's not suspicious" Luffy complained with his eyebrows narrowed in annoyance.

"I have a guess as to what they're doing" Canaan spoke up "and I don't think it's anything you need to worry about Luffy."

"Wha?"

"I don't think it's anything to worry about, and I'd say that in a few hours we'll all be back here for supper."

"Why don't you just tell me what they're doin?"

"Well, they didn't tell me exactly what they were doing so I don't want to go blabbing something that might not be the case, but your crewmates can take care of themselves and they all want to go."

Luffy blinked, seeming to let it go.

"Do you want us to take you down to where they are?" Paul asked.

"No" Luffy responded, almost harshly.

"No, let's get go. I want to go hiking."

"Alrighty then" Canaan said happily "but you'd better get ready for the ride of your life; I'm quite speedy."

"Bring it" Luffy said, a wide grin crossing his face.

With that, the three marines and their pirate companion, dashed off down a trail in the opposite direction of the base.

- SH Crew and Alvida -

"I hate this place" mumbled Chopper through his gas mask. He, Robin, and Alvida were both being carried through the base by their friends since there were still traces of hardened seastone scattered throughout. The lights were all blown through the hallways so they all carried flashlights and lamps to guide their way through the dark abyss.

"We all hate it" replied Zoro, who was carrying the small deer, volunteering to do so to assure he wouldn't wonder off without outside guidance to get him out of the labyrinth.

"Aaaand why are we here again?" Usopp complained.

"I need to show you something regarding your captain" Alvida replied somberly.

Orrin grunted in disapproval but didn't speak.

"Yeah that's not suspicious" Sanji mumbled, mimicking the words of his captain.

"We're here" Alvida announced as they came to a dirty steel door, which Zoro recognized as the one that he had stormed into after finding the scientists watching his captain's experiment footage.

He wanted to stop them from going in and seeing the bodies in there… and he didn't like the idea of what Alvida had in mind for what they would be doing once inside. Deciding it best to face the situation head on, he followed the group in after the woman into the dark room.

The foul odor of rotting corpses hung in the air and immediately everyone brought their hands to their noses.

"What the crap?" Nami exclaim in disgust "I get why Yu would order the commanders to kill off the marines outside, but why would he kill of his valuable scientists?"

Zoro coughed uncomfortably but spoke up. "Actually, that was me…"

Everyone turned and looked back in shock.

"Wha-? When did you-? Why were you-?" Nami stuttered, clearly flustered.

"I wish I hadn't" Zoro scowled, looking away in frustration "it was just a distraction… a distraction that kept me focused on revenge rather than getting back to Luffy… and if I hadn't, well Luffy probably wouldn't be-"

"Don't talk like that idiot Mariomo" Sanji interrupted harshly "there's no way in heck you could have known this was going to happen! And darn it! If you hadn't been where you were when you were, Luffy would have died! So shut up with this guilt-trip you've been stuck in since Luffy woke up."

Zoro blinked in surprise, his mind recognizing the angry tone in the cook's voice, but also caught off guard by the kindness implied in the words.

He didn't give a retort.

"Considering your… actions…" Alvida gulped in mid sentence, a clear indication of her discomfort "… I'm guessing you saw some footage from the tests…"

"I did."

"Well, I've brought you here to give you a chance to see everything we… everything that I have put your captain through" she said as she pulled a disk out of her pocket.

Everyone's expressions grew dark upon being faced with something they had wanted so badly to not believe had really happened, but owed it to their captain to see what he'd gone through for their rescue.

"Why? Why would you show us?"

"Partially to see if you could find out anything regarding the experiments that could be helpful in figuring out how to get Luffy walking again, but mainly to attain for my actions."

Orrin was scowling and looking away but kept silent.

"You guys have been more than merciful to me, but you deserve to know what happened in here… Luffy… I can't believe Luffy's let me live and can only assume he's a very merciful type… but you guys were equally wronged when I disabled your captain… so if you wish to view these recordings you may, otherwise I will destroy them so this re-search will not be used again."

There was a silence in the room as the small crew took in what the woman had said. Robin spoke for the group.

"We wish to see them" she said firmly and no-one argued.

With that, Alvida nodded and turned on one of the computers which, surprisingly, had survived the self-destruct and though the lights in the base were all blown, the electricity still seemed to work.

As soon as the computer was up and running and the screen began to glow, lighting up the dark room, she popped the disc into the drive and opened up the video file on the screen.

"What you are about to see if a detailed recording of every reaction Luffy gave to every experiment or scientific treatment during his stay here. I'll leave you to it and will be in another room until you're done."

With that, she turned and walked out, leaving the recording on the screen the new focus of the crew's attention.

The first recording was of Luffy's first encounter with Dr. Akens immediately after the battle to rescue them. (13) As they watched they shared in a pride when they saw him slam the doctor against the wall, only to be horror struck when the man injected him with some odd medication that caused him to collapse. It was clear he was still conscious by his eyes but he couldn't move and apparently couldn't speak. They watched as the man placed him on the table, cleaned his wounds, then pulled out the tube and the odd bag from the drawer.

"What the heck is-" Usopp started before he was cut off by the sight of what the doctor was doing to his captain.

They hated how "gentle" the doctor was as he forced the dark-haired boy's mouth open and shoved the tube down his throat.

Nami let out a gasp of sadness and turned away as Luffy involuntarily reacted to the alien object entering his body, then his convulsions as the Pindum was forced to replace his oxygen intake.

"I'm glad that creep got what was comin to him" Usopp growled, repulsed,  
Luffy deserved to give him that beat-down."

The video then switched to the first stamina test with Alvida (16-17) and they all glowed with admiration as their captain put an end to the experiment before it even started by refusing to fight. Then they saw how Luffy had been forced to run himself to exhaustion to keep Canaan from being tortured.

They watched as the next set of experiments took place with Luffy's body being marked on with the blue paint, then his battles with the commanders. Pride returned to their faces as they watched the boy take out opponent after opponent in battle.

Then the battle went sour as the large marine pinned him to the ground and the smaller one shoved a twin-blade into his hip (24). The horror continued as they watched the men torture Luffy by dragging their blades along the blue markings on his back, their faces cruel and mocking, not stopping until they were called off.

They watched each test as their captain reacted differently to each round of the gas he was exposed to. Then the final test, when the gas finally worked perfectly and the commanders returned to their cowardly torture of the immobile boy. (32)

It was this scene that disgusted the crew the most; Nami, Usopp, and Chopper all bursting into tears as they watched a commander drag a blade across their friend's face. There was a tension of regret and anguish that crept across the crew as they watched the men stretch Luffy's arm as far as they could, like he was a toy, then the threat to remove it. Then the final test of torturing Canaan in front of him caused Chopper to curl into a ball in Zoro's arms, digging his tear-stained face into his friend's chest for comfort.

It was then that they all realized just how much their Canaan had gone through with their captain. They had seen the elite yelling from his imprisoning chair; had seen him comforting Luffy even through his own torture and they suddenly had a new appreciation for the tall marine.

The recordings cut off with the boy being dragged away, still unmoving after the test had come to an end.

All that could be heard in the room were the sobs of Nami, Usopp, and Chopper; a tense stillness settling in the dark confinement. The rest of the crew remained stiff jawed, not bothering to block the memories of what they had just seen from their minds, playing over their captain's sufferings again and again, as if a part of them needed to justify the uncontrollable rage that was dwelling inside of them, yet in reality it only fed that rage.

"I saw the scars" Chopper hiccupped out "but I didn't think… I didn't know…"

"None of us knew" Sanji said, his voice worn.

"He's been through so much" Nami voiced, sniffling to keep the liquids pouring out of her eyes and nose somewhat at bay. "How could he act like nothing happened?"

"Probably to keep us from feeling guilty" Robin answered. "He did get caught rescuing us. He didn't want us to realize how much he suffered so we could go free."

"Don't bother sugar-coating anything" Usopp murmured.

"Luffy…" Chopper sobbed.

Bitterly Sanji looked away."None of those commanders have gotten anywhere close to paying for what they've done…and darn it most of them are dead already… and darn it, Zoro took all the big bosses out!"

"Well" Zoro objected "I missed one… the guy who started this whole operation who was supposed to meet General Yu on the mountain. I passed him when I went to get Luffy."

"S'there a chance he's still around so I can tie him to a tree and kick him until I pass out?"

"You mean until HE passes out?" Usopp corrected.

"I know what I said."

"Anyway" Zoro continued "I'd say he got caught up in the volcanic eruption… if not, he's long gone by now."

"There's still Alvida" Robin said a-matter-of-factly.

"Yeah" Usopp whined "a change-of-heart goody two shoes version of Alvida. How the heck can we do anything to her now? And her boyfriend is pretty much responsible for Luffy's entire rescue. Not really the best "thank you" I could think of."

"She won't earn my forgiveness just because she's got a guilty conscience" Zoro countered, "but I've spilled enough blood for my own vengeance so I'll leave the decision up to you."

"Luffy wouldn't want us to do anything to her, and he did say to wait to see if he… to wait till he got better before we jump the gun" Nami said, verbalizing what the rest of them were thinking. None of them were up for hurting the woman in the other room after she practically gave herself up to them.

"In that case" Usopp concluded "let's get out of this terrible place and leave these memories behind. I think the best thing for Luffy is for us to help him get back to the captain who had never gone through this crap. Help him forget it ever happened and get sailing again, like we never came across this island."

The crew responded with nods and exited the room, leaving the screen glowing in the dark.

When they came to the room Alvida had been waiting in they found Orrin at her side, looking more defensive than earlier.

"Well… now you know" Alvida said, clearly feigning bravery.

"Yeah we do" Zoro said, sauntering forward intimidatingly (aside from the little reindeer in his arms which took away from his fearful aura considerably).

Orrin got to his feet and came between the built swordsman and his friend, his body tensed protectively.

"Don't worry" Sanji said, stepping up beside the green-haired man, "seems that your sudden development of a conscience, aside from being super sexy, makes us sure that Luffy wouldn't have us doing any harm to you without his consent. Of course, I'd never lay a hand on your pretty little head anyway."

"Hey!" Orrin objected noisily "What's with the flirting you dumb blond?"

Zoro smiled at the man talking smack to the cook.

"Just yesterday you were fuming at her and now you're trying to hook up?"

"Call it a love-hate relationship" Sanji replied, smirking down at the red-head.

"What relationship?"

"OK OK" Nami declared, stepping between the two and bringing her hands up, "you guys can stay here and keep arguing, the rest of us would prefer to go get some fresh-air and sunshine."

With that she looked over at Alvida, who's expression reflected how shocked she was to be let off the hook. This pleased the navigator a bit that the woman would expect wrath from them.

Orrin rushed over and took Alvida into his arms and carried her out, following after the group of pirates who hastily made their way back through the hallway, leaving the one lit screen the only light remaining in the dark abyss of the once-thriving base.

TBC…

Another, not so rough cliffhanger (I think I'm going soft). But stay with me only a few chapters left.

Once again, I have illustrations to this fic and other One Piece fan art on my deviantart account: zinfer (dot) deviantart (dot) com.

Recordatio001- I'm so so happy my fic brings you happiness (despite how angsty it is _) and thank you SO much for coninuously taking the time to support me and write these reviews T_T they mean so much.

darkness34- Thank you, again, for the encouraging review. I'm glad you liked the tickle contest with Luffy :)

mto92- I know, its an odd thing to put humor into something very depressing (D. Gray Man is a great example of this) DAWWWW -^_^- thank you so much *is super flattered* O.O the websites you check on a daily basis! that's such a big deal! (mine are deviantart, mangafox, mangastream, and fanfiction). thank you so much! I'm putting off packing for college to write this. I'm not very bright now that I think about it... anyhows! enjoy the rest of the fic!

storyhunter534- I would LOVE to see this animated (not to say it deserves to be animated, but I always pictured it animated in my head when I came up with it). the end is near (sounds a bit creepy XD) do enjoy

HeroR- thank you ^_^ also, in this case, my loophole regarding the seastone would be that it hasn't been processed into weaponry yet so it's still in its raw breakable state. I probably will be very busy this next week or two, but I have this terrible ability to do things that aren't pressing needs more than my pressing needs so there's a good chance for more updates soon XD Thanks again!

Anime lover 3593- YAY! I'm glad you like my music suggestions ^_^ and knowing me, college probably won't be my distraction. I'm currently hooked on finishing this fic and I'm so close the the end it'd kill me to put it off. Thank you so much for the encouragement! enjoy the rest!

XFangHeartX- thank you so much for reviewing ^_^ and I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter

Bean is jamming to Sia now- have i mentioned that I love your names? I have? oh... well then... anyhows, I'm very happy you know and enjoy my song choices. And asking me if I'm secretly Oda is the BEST THING EVER! Oh he's my hero so thank you thank you thank you for the comparison ^_^ dawww, well maybe when this one's done I'll start another one. What would my life be without this distraction?

luffylover6673- I think I noticed "liar" but didn't read it (I've been avoiding fics regarding Ace's death, that might be why) but perhaps I'll break free from my boycott. I see you're a main character fan (as am I) though my heart really belongs to One Piece. I read those other manga faithfully, but with hardly as much enthusiasm. so if you've got some OP fanfic ideas, feel free to shoot them my way ^_^ I'm formulating a new one now that this one's coming to a close. Anyways! thanks so much for the wonderful review! enjoy!

caring16- wow... 5 months. why so long? I wish your cat was more sociable, but I guess that's up to him. XD and yay for another name joke XD loved it! indeed, Luffy needs his fans to be strong for him through this rough time :) do enjoy the rest my friend!

Tarigarma- I'm so glad the fic is keeping you interested even when all the action has dissipated. thank you for taking the time to review and let me know you're enjoying it.

Tare-chan- thank you so much, again :) I'm really glad the interactions went smoothly and looked natural. I hope you enjoy these last few chapters Tare

WezL- YAY! Thank you! I really want to emphasize on keeping the characters in-character (something i didn't do so much of at the beginning of the fic). And I love to emphasize Luffy's subtle wisdom. do enjoy the rest :)

EALM528- Dawwww, I'm glad it will be missed. FANART! WOULD BE AWESOME! an honor truly, but I'll understand if you're too lazy XD I'm glad you could relate to some of the emotional aspects of that chapter :) I am going to art college to learn illustration and sequential art ^_^ flirting with the idea of testing out my own manga but we'll see. Thank you, again, for keeping me going! enjoy these final chapters my friend.

Llaelien- I think he's figuring out the severity of his situation but has been playing along with their front for their sake and to keep things from getting awkward. I honestly thought I would have a Zoro and Luffy moment this chapter but it turned out being longer than I thought and had to cut it short. So please be patient is all the advice I can give ^_^ I doubt I'll stop distracting myself with this, though it might delay an update but not for long. Thank you again Llaelien!

The Strike Freedom- YAY! thanks! I'm really wanting to improve! *is super encouraged* and thanks for taking the time to review! do enjoy the last few chapters!

Neko11- thank you :) I love that you got goosebumps ^_^ and I'm really glad you're still enjoying the fic despite it's depressing turn. I'm also glad you liked the tickle contest scene :) I was hoping to have a bit more lightheartedness in the fic after all of that angst I was pouring into it. Thank you so much for sticking with me! ^_^ I hope you enjoy the fic to the end.

Nihongonofuriku- (wow, that name was fun to type) Your review really made my day! I'll go check out your story (see if you have similar tastes as I do). Luckily, I am a master procrastinator, and what better way to procrastinate than to write this fanfic (and I have an excuse since I'm so close to the end). Really, thank you. I was very encouraged and hope you enjoy the rest of the fic :)

THANK YOU ALL FOR READING! Your support has made it now possible for me to finally bring this fic to a close. Just a bit further now.


	58. Let it Out

- Luffy, Canaan, Sky, and Paul -

The trek around the island had gone delightfully well and Canaan was happy to hear Luffy making exclamations of excitement behind him as he carried the boy through some of the more elaborate geographical locations on the island. Despite the initial gloom of the place, there was much more to be seen than the rocky slopes and cliffs of the base, the other side of the island was made up of the remains of the previous town, now laid in ruin after the first eruption of the volcano. The remnants were beautiful despite the initial morbidity of the desolation, the magma seemed to have its own magical fertilization ability, causing the plants to grow through it with a bluish hue, twisting around the crumbled buildings in an artful fashion.

The sun glistened off of every object like it was a crystal mirror, even the vegetation seemed reflective, as if everything the prism had touched was glistening like the ocean itself.

Sky didn't seem to hold on to any nostalgia about the place. He'd visited there enough to be comfortable walking through what used to be his old playing grounds, as well as the manor he had suffered in for the majority of his youth. In truth, he found a sick pleasure in visiting the old house he'd been forced to serve in that had now been laid to waste.

The marine's took this time to tell stories of the adventures they had had over the years. Though they admitted that their stories weren't quite as exciting as the pirate's, they told them anyway; and Luffy, though he occasionally zoned out at the more boring parts, seemed decently excited to hear about any action stories of battle or exciting creatures they had come across.

"Holy crap! I've never seen water so clear before! Look at all the colors!"

Luffy was giddy about everything he laid his eyes on, clearly enjoying being out of the dark prison and on the move again.

The four of them had made their way to the beach on the east side of the island, and the vibrantly colored reefs could be seen clearly through the crystal water. Luffy, despite the excitement in his voice, remained still on Canaan's back, the thrill of the new scenery having no affect on his condition to everyone's subtle dismay.

Traveling down to the beach, they settled down by the water where Sky and Paul dueled each-other for fun. They were all happy to see some lighthearted competition without life being on the line. The two friends were both a bit slower than usual due to the numerous injuries they were sporting from the last few days, but it was still a fun fight to watch.

Paul had a much more acrobatic style to his attacks, while Sky was more grounded and calculated. Luffy and Canaan both cheered and shouted out commands on how to defeat the other. Paul had the upper hand since he had received the lesser of their wounds but as Sky started to fall back he resorted to using nearby seastone, careful to use it only to block attacks so to not injure his friend in the lighthearted duel.

They ended up wresting in the sand, both falling over exhausted into the surf, enjoying the cool water. Canaan carried Luffy over to the water, setting him down with the rest of them in the shallow water.

The pirate smiled but that look of shame returned to his face when Canaan had to support his back to keep him upright. He kept his eyes down, focusing on the water lapping up onto his skin, letting his sight take in what his nerves couldn't.

"Guess it doesn't matter if I'm in the water or not when I'm like this" Luffy said, trying to sound lighthearted, but the tone in his voice coming out more like a sadistic humor.

Sky exchanged a solemn glance at Canaan but said nothing as he and Paul came to sit beside their two other companions.

As the three younger boys sparked up a debate over the duel, Canaan sat silently, watching Luffy intently, partially because he still had hope that at any instant the boy would twitch or give some indication of life in his lower body, but more so to see how the captain was handling the slowly invading reality of his immobility.

He had taken the pirate on the hiking trip to lighten his spirits and get him some fresh air away from any memories from the last few days, but his motives were also to take the responsibility of gently breaking him into the lifestyle of being unable to move on his own will. Despite how much every one of them wished and hoped for the boy to have a miraculous healing, he knew that denial would be dangerous if everyone held on for it for much longer.

He wasn't a pessimist, and every ounce of him wanted Luffy to recover fully, but he cared too much for the boy to not consider the possibility of the permanency of his condition.

Luffy needed to see that he could go on living and even enjoying life despite his disability, just in case the seastone remained in his body permanently. He knew the captain hated the humiliation of being moved around and carried, which was why he was taking the responsibility of doing all of those things.

The thought of how the boy's crewmates would feel when they saw that expression that showed itself on their captains face when they would try to take him with them made him want to take that emotional weight on himself so to lighten the pain of the situation from the small crew.

The group, after they had enjoyed the respite in the water for another thirty minutes, picked up and set off again, continuing around the island.

They came to another one of their training grounds, where they focused on giving Luffy some muscle exercises. Fortunately they were able to make it into more of a game than a medical procedure, moving his arms up and down to loosen up the unused joints and worn tendons. All the while it was obvious that the pirate was giving it his best effort to move them on his own as they moved him.

After a few hours there, they headed back toward the camp as the sun set before them. Canaan continued to carry Luffy, who had grown silent on the way back. It worried him. That evening would mean around four days that the boy had been immobile, and every day lessened the chances of his recovery a great amount.

"You know…" Luffy started suddenly "… a while ago our crew had to take out a crew of merman pirates."

Canaan remained silent, wondering where the captain was going with his story.

"They were tough, but we had to beat them because they were making Nami sad and she couldn't come with us because of them. It wasn't easy, but my crew kicked their butts until all that was left was the big shark guy Arlong. He mocked me because I couldn't do anything when I was drowning, and I told him that because I couldn't do anything I had others to help me…I couldn't use swords, I couldn't navigate, I couldn't cook or lie… and that I was sure that if I didn't have anyone to help me I couldn't survive… but… but I told him what I could do… and that was to defeat him…"

Luffy was silent then, leaving only the sound crunching of leaves and sticks to be heard as they continued on down the trail.

"Luffy…" Canaan started, hating his loss for words as the desire to console the boy on his back ate at him.

"I can't do anything…" the boy continued, his voice steady and reserved "… not anymore. How can I be strong for them like this?"

"You don't have to be strong for them Luffy" the marine responded gently "you said so yourself. And you did what you could do… you kicked the enemy's butt. Your nakama is safe, and now you have to let them do their jobs and carry you through this."

"This is different…"

After those words Luffy didn't speak again until they returned to the camp. The boy's spirits seemed to lift when he was reunited with his crew but the marines wondered if he was doing it for their sake. It made them feel better to assume he was genuinely feeling better.

Bansi has made his way into the camp after hiking there from the Merry Go and he was sorely bitter about being forgotten by Orrin. After he thoroughly gave Orrin and Alvida a good tongue lashing he then turned to the rest of the Straw Hat crew who had also forgotten about him in all of the chaos. Excuses were made; very good excuses in fact, so much so that Bansi was forced to resort to stewing bitterly by the fire, wallowing in his underappreciation.

Chopper spoke (without going into much detail) of deductions he had gotten out of what he had seen in the base, speaking of how the Pindum got into Luffy's system a little more each time he was prepped for confinement by Dr. Akens. He then went on to speak in medical jargon causing the others to lose focus until he came to conclusions. Apparently his body had begun to reject the seastone particles that had made their way into his system, which was the cause for his vomiting blood and pain, but the rejection was cut short when he fell into the seastone magma inside the volcano. Chopper's most optimistic hope was that Luffy's body would restart the rejecting process to fight off the seastone paralyzing him and cancel it out naturally. If not they would have to find some way to get it started their own. The only problem was that he had no knowledge of any medicine that did such a thing, nor any medical procedure.

Many of the marines came up to visit them again at the camp, once again bringing piles of food for a massive cookout. Everyone ate heartily though the Straw Hat crew seemed to have lost a large amount of their appetite, Luffy in particular. He kept telling them that he was going to get someone else to feed him but as they all kept an eye on him they saw that he had only asked for a few pieces of bread throughout the entire meal.

By the end of the meal the marines were once again wondering back to their sleeping quarters at the base, chatting lightly as they used the light of the moon to guide them back. It was a clear night, the sky shining blue with its luminescent stars.

Once again the crew remained close to Luffy as sleep overtook them, no one speaking of what they had seen in the prison earlier that morning.

It was around midnight when Zoro woke to the sound of Luffy's voice. It was just a whisper but the swordsman had been on alert so he was quick to snap awake and lean over to see what his captain needed.

"Um… Zoro."

"Yeah"

"I need to… could you… I have to go. Really bad."

"What?"

"I was trying to hold it till I got better… but I can't hold it anymore."

"You've been holding it for the past four days!"

"Shhhhhhh! I didn't think I'd have to hold it that long."

"Sheash Luffy, all you had to do was ask."

Zoro quickly lifted the boy by his armpits and made his way into the woods silently since it was clear that Luffy didn't want the others to know about his bathroom run.

They came to a small clearing on the other side of the trees that opened up to a cliff at the edge of the black ocean. It was chilly as a cool breeze blew in from the sea and Zoro stood there for a moment wondering what his next move should be.

Luffy didn't give any suggestions either so Zoro just moved like clockwork, doing what he knew needed to be done and trying not to think about it too much.

That was hard.

The moment he laid his captain down and went to undo his pants he saw the look in Luffy's eyes and it made his gut twist like a cramp in his stomach. He had never seen his captain so ashamed and it made him wonder if he'd ever seen anything other than confidence and pride on that face.

Luffy's eyes were downcast and his eyebrows were furrowed in what seemed like pain, but he knew it had nothing to do with the boy's physical discomfort, but his broken heart. He hated being the cause of that expression and prayed that he'd never have to see it again.

Still, he didn't speak, but finished prepping the boy to do his business then quickly made his way back behind him and lifted him up again. There was something sickeningly surreal about the whole situation as he helped the man he'd sworn to make pirate king do such a menial task.

Keeping his eyes directed away from his captain he was holding, he did his best to give the boy as much dignity as possible.

A few seconds passed when he heard a sniffle come from in front of him and he glance forward. The sniffles seemed to be restrained and every few moments he heard a hiccup come squeaking out of the boy in his arms. Every sound was very restricted and clearly Luffy was trying to hold back his emotions.

Zoro knew that his captain's outburst wasn't solely due to the uncomfortable situation, but rather, the situation was the final straw that would break down Luffy's strong front he had been maintaining through the entire endeavor.

"It's ok captain" he said silently, turning his head away once more "you don't have to hold it in for me."

As if his first-mate's permission was all he needed, the young pirate burst into tears, his sobs coming out in loud continuous yells, making Zoro glad that he had taken them to a more isolated area, far enough away from the others to be out of hearing range.

Luffy lifted his face to the bright sky and poured his heart out, his tears running down his face like rivers, joined with snot from his nose.

For over an hour he cried, and Zoro held him up until his sobs tapered down to whimpers, then to sniffles. Once he was sure his captain had composed himself, Zoro silently helped clean the boy up and return his boxers, shorts, and dignity back to where they belonged.

He then wrapped his friend's arm over his own shoulder and began his trek back to the camp.

"Zoro…" Luffy spoke quietly as they made their way through the woods "I'm not getting better… I'm… I'm…"

"It's too soon to tell yet" Zoro countered, disapproving of the defeated tone in his captain's voice.

"When then? A week? A month? … Zoro, I'm scared, I'm really scared."

"I know you are, and I'd be lying to you if I told you I wasn't as well, but I know that if anyone can pull this off… it's you captain; and no matter what I will stay by your side to the end."

Luffy glanced his way, his face somber.

"Weren't you the one that said that if I did something that'd hinder you from your dream you'd kill me."

The words caused Zoro to stop in his tracks and pull Luffy around to where they were face to face, his expression angry at first, then calming as he stared into his captains hurt eyes.

"Luffy, I started out on my journey to be the greatest swordsman and I would die for that dream, but from the moment I became a part of your crew my respect for you has done nothing but grow. You have shown me that you are worthy of all of my loyalty, and your life more valuable than the dream that got me started in the first place. And darn it I won't leave you just because you can't benefit me at the moment."

There was a look of hope that crossed Luffy's face for an instant, but then frustration returned.

"I hate this…" he said, scowling and looking away. A small line of tears welled up in his eyes once again, but he held them in.

It was then that Zoro pulled him into a hug, hiding the boy's face in his shoulder.

"Me too captain, me too" Zoro replied as he felt Luffy's tears soak into his shirt. The two old friends stood there in silence for another few minutes until Zoro noted when his captain's emotional strain was replaced with weariness.

Shifting the dark-haired boy to his back, he proceeded to carry him the rest of the way to camp piggy-back style. Somewhere along the way he heard Luffy's breathing change and he knew his captain had fallen asleep.

Two weeks passed without any change in Luffy's condition.

TBC…

Sorry it took me so long to update again. I finally headed off to college and I was just getting settled in to my dorm and such, but I'm back and ready to finish this thing! I hope I didn't lose all of my wonderful reviewers T_T

I hope I didn't lose my groove having not written in the last week or so… let me know if I need to fix anything.

xFangHeartx- and now he's even more depressed! Yay!

Anime lover 3593- Woohoo! I'm glad you liked the scenes ^_^ and I did think back to that scene as I was writing this though I didn't copy it or anything… just kinda how things turned out man I loved that scene in the series though. So good

Mto92- lol, yay for depressing humor! Not a lot in this chapter… in fact, I don't know if I included any humor whatsoever… that's not good -_-' I'm super glad you liked what I did with the hike n such. I hope you enjoy the rest of the fic!

EALM528- sheesheee -^_^- tanks. Thanks so much for the support! And college is going great!

HeroR- WOOHOO! Yay for keeping them in character. This chapter was kind of lacking in that regard but oh well. I know the crew isn't quite as bloodthirsty as I portrayed them but I kind of wanted it in there anyways so I just broke the rules a little. Just know I started this story before either of those arcs ^_^ though I honestly hadn't noted the parallel but you make an excellent point, I totally see what you're saying O_O (man, when Ace died, that was crazy) thanks again for the advice and encouragement!

Darkness34- sorry this chapter didn't brighten your spirits any -_-' and lol to your bloodlust towards Alvida ^_^ thank you so much! (for the review, and maybe the bloodlust on the side)

Caring16- yes, Luffy needed some new sights and fresh air ^_^ I'm so glad that the fic is keeping you emotionally attached! It's the best thing I could hear in a review so thanks again my caring friend

Bean's names pretty stinkin awesome- I am so glad I am motivating you to work XD cause writing them is pretty much the absolute opposite for me. Lol. Anyhow, my fav pairing is LuffyxNami (if you go to my deviantart account *I'm Zinfer* you'll see many pics of the two together) though I also support ZoroxRobin, VivixKoza or VivixSanji. I'm not crazy about pairings but I love one piece and I love romance so I just put them together sometimes based on little hints in the series.

Recordatio001- I have updated again! I tried to get back as quickly as I could but I've been crazy busy (and I really still am but I choose to write ff rather than sleep XD) I hope you stick with me to the end and enjoy these last few chapters! Thanks

WezL- I hate it when I read a fic where my fav character gets hurt or something and no one finds out O_O I have some weird requirement for angst that it can't happen to someone alone, another must know. I hope my slow updating hasn't caused you to lose patience with me XD you've been so wonderful these last few chapters

Neko11- YAY thanks! I'm so glad you like it ^_^ Thank you so much for the encouragement and I really hope you enjoy the rest of the fic as it draws to a close

ThetrueAmeliaP- gooood ^_^ I'm very glad you approved. Do enjoy the last few chapters AmeliaP

?- REALLY O_O since chapter 12! WOW! That's awesome! I totally can't even appreciate you enough for sticking with me through these last few years XD hopefully you can hold on to the end, which is so close now T_T YAY internet taco! Fun food without the calories. Good stuff.

Luffylover6673- you are very welcome ^_^ angst isn't good until it's shared so there we go. Hmmmmmmm, very cool XD just my type of angst. College is ridiculous! I am so friggin busy, I'm writing this at 3 AM so I'm gonna die tmorrow XD YAY for insomnia! I so excited to finish this fic! Then I can start developing a new one (possible using ur story idea :D)

Llaelien- I hope my update was soon enough, and I'm sorry but you'll just have to wait and see about the answers to those questions ^_^ thank you so much! Do enjoy the rest of the fic! Greetings!

The Strike Freedom- that's totally cool, I just appreciate that you take the time to review at all XD that means a lot to the writer. Like, it means a whole lot. Anyways! I hope you remember me even though it's been a week or two.. ish _ thanks!

Anna- I hope this is soon enough ^_^ I've been super busy but I hope to finish soon. Thanks!

MetaLatias- Here it is! Thank you so much for the review! WOOOOO! FANART! That would just make my day! I'm gonna b posting more of my own fanart (call it self-promotion -_-') on DA as well. Thank you again! Do enjoy these last few chapters!

To all my readers and friends, Thanks again! You make this way fun to write!


	59. Captain's Decision

-Everyone-

Those were the worst two weeks the Straw Hat crew had experienced together. The days seemed so painfully long, yet upon every week end it seemed that they had passed unnaturally fast; as if they had wanted the days of hope to stay around, but with each passing hour the hopeful thoughts transformed into cruel reality.

It wasn't that caring for Luffy was annoying or frustrating to the few crewmates, but damaging his pride made each minute a living Hell. Each meal, each muscle exercise, even the baths, which had started as a fun playtime, had become heart breaking. Nami made a rule that Luffy always had to look her in the eye whenever she helped him with anything, making a point to smack him when he cast his eyes down in shame. Still, Chopper kept trying different injections and medical procedures but was running out of theories to test, his frustration becoming more and more evident with each failed attempt.

Now the days were quiet, a depressing silence weighed over the entire camp like a physical presence. Canaan sat alone with Luffy, watching the sun set for the fourteenth time. The young captain's expression was of calm bitterness, looking out longingly at the sea, unable to return to it like he had always done in the past.

"Luffy" Canaan began after several minutes of silence "I remember you telling me about the man who saved your life… Shanks was it?"

Luffy responded with an affirming glance.

"How do you think he would handle your situation?"

It wasn't a demanding question, but Canaan knew that if there was anything the pirate still had that he could strive for, it was to be like his hero.

Yet Luffy kept silent, his gaze locked on the blinding reflections of the sun off of crystal clear water.

"Do you remember when we were back in that cell" he finally replied, ignoring the question completely, "when you smashed everything when I couldn't?"

This time Canaan kept silent, replying with a questioning look.

"Could you do that to me?"

"What! How could you even ask me that?"

"Because I know my crew won't…"

"But why?"

"I have to feel something Canaan" Luffy replied, a hint of desperation in his voice "… just something… anything. Everyone's been so gentle up till now, maybe my body just needs more to feel; something stronger."

"It doesn't work that way Luffy-"

"Why can't it? Why… just…. Gah! I just want to feel again. I want to take my crew to the ends of the earth, to lead them to worlds they'd never dreamed of! We were going to be free, freer than any pirate crew before us… But they're stuck here with me! I can't do this to them. I can't chain them to a life caring for me. I'd rather die."

Canaan looked over at him somberly, realizing that any attempt at consoling the boy would fall on deaf ears.

"Well then, as their captain, you have a decision to make. The circumstances stink, but your crew still needs you to guide them and make those decisions. It's your choice, and there is more than one option before you, so make it and face your new trial like a pirate. You're still free."

Luffy looked up at him, broken but with a look of determination returned to his face.

The time had come to make a decision.

- Straw Hat Crew- the next morning -

"So what's going on Luffy? What's the plan?" Nami asked as the Straw Hat crew circled around their captain who was propped up against a boulder. He had announced a meeting with all of them regarding their future plans. Just the thought of discussing the future with a paraplegic Luffy twisted their stomachs but they all knew it needed to be addressed.

Luffy looked somber but to everyone's relief, maintained that ever-strong authoritative presence that came over him when a big decision needed to be made. Clearing his voice he began to speak.

"Since we can't stay on this island forever, and since there hasn't been any immediate change to my condition, I've thought over our options and have come to a decision on what our next step will be."

Everyone listened anxiously, though the solemness in their captain's tone gave them a suspicious feeling they couldn't shake.

"You guys will continue on with the Merry Go and follow the Log Pose to the rest of the Grand Line. I will stay here on this island and Alvida has agreed to continue studying the seastone for a cure to my condition. Hopefully, when you guys come back to visit, I'll be back to health again and I will rejoin you to find One Piece once again."

With that he concluded his announcement. Short, simple, and devastating to hear. Once he had finished, Luffy's expression became firm, waiting for his crewmates to try and challenge him.

"How… how could you think like that?" Usopp said in shock.

"I'm an optimist, Usopp, but I'm not a fool. I can't live in denial about the bad things happening in front of me."

"And you think we're going to leave you here?" Sanji spit out bitterly.

"Yes."

"Then you must not know us as well as you think."

"No" Luffy smiled sadly but appreciatively "that's why this is an order. As your captain I order you to leave this-"

"I refuse."

"Do you Sanji? You think that since I'm a cripple I'm not fit to give orders anymore?"

The blonde reeled back like he'd been stabbed.

"Why don't we take you with us?" Nami interjected.

"I don't have to tell you how bad that idea is. I'm sorry Nami, but we'd be the laughing stock of the Grand Line if your captain was sailing the seas paralyzed."

"Since when did the opinion of others mean anything to you Luffy?" Zoro growled.

"What are you gonna do Zoro?" Luffy replied, his resolve to stay calm during the debate breaking, "tie me to the mast when we go sailing? Give me a piggy back ride when we explore new islands? Hide me when there's a fight! Don't you think I've lost enough dignity as it is?"

"Dignity! We're pirates! The Luffy I know would become the laughing stock of the world to be the Pirate King! He wouldn't care! When did you give up on your dreams?"

"I DIDN'T GIVE UP ON MY DREAMS!" Luffy screamed "THEY WERE RIPPED FROM ME WHEN THAT VOLCANO ERUPTED!"

Suddenly Luffy gasped painfully, shocking everyone as his who body arched against the boulder it was up against.

"What the-? Luffy!" everyone exclaimed, rushing to his side.

The raven-haired boy was panting heavily with his eyes squeezed tightly shut, his body writhing like it was being tourtured.

"What's happening!" Usopp shouted "Chopper what's going on?"

"I don't know" the reindeer replied in dismay, checking his captain's pulse and eyes. "It looks like his body is reacting to some kind of- OHHH! He might, it might be his body rejecting the Pindum! But… but why now? It might be too much for him if his body had already been filled with it for so long… he might…"

Luffy interrupted with a yell of pain which was only broken by his rhythmic gasps for air.

"Oh Luffy" Chopper whimpered "haven't you gone through enough? I'll go get some painkillers!"

"N-No" the captain gasped before the doctor even moved.

"But Luffy, you're in pain!"

"I can- *gasp* I can feel Chopper" Luffy choked out, the heavy coating of pain no able to cover up the joy in his words.

What he had said should have been obvious, but the statement threw them all. Despite the agonizing suffering of their captain, the news sent a jolt of hope and excitement through their chests.

"You mean you can actually feel your arms and legs!" Sanji exclaimed.

"Mmhmm- well... *pant* ... getting there" Luffy murmured back, suppressing his shouts of pain and nodding as he looked up at his crewmate.

"But- but how?" Usopp asked excitedly. "Why now? It's been two weeks and his feeling is coming back now of all times!"

Luffy's breathing had become unnaturally fast, even for him, and he seemed to be reaching his limit as his eyes began to roll up into his head.

The rest of the crew could only watch as he struggled, and could only place hands of comfort on him as he slipped from consciousness into seizure filled sleep.

For a moment everyone simply sat in disbelieving silence, shocked by the events of the last few seconds. One second they had been arguing, the next they were looking over their captain as, for the first time since the incident, a change in their captain's condition had finally occurred, but now with a risk of losing him permanently.

"Chopper, what's going on?" Zoro demanded, taking Luffy up into his arms.

"I don't know for certain, but I can venture a few guesses."

"Well can we do anything to help him?" Usopp asked, looking down worriedly at the boy before him, whose expression was pain ridden yet weak at the same time.

"I don't think so" Chopper answered, wiping a clump of his captain's sweat ridden hair out of the boy's eye "heck, I don't know anything for certain, and even if my guess is correct, there's nothing we can do to help."

"What is your guess?" Robin asked.

"Well, from what it looks like, Luffy's body finally started rejecting the Pindum stuck in his system. This process could either be severely detrimental to his body or, on the other hand, it could be just what he needs to get moving again."

"But why now? It's been two friggin weeks!" Nami demanded.

"I can only guess that our argument earlier caused his heart-rate to spike and it set off his body's defense system that was struggling to get back into action since everything had been slowed to an almost dormant state… so, I guess, good job Zoro."

Zoro coughed awkwardly, remembering that he hadn't just gotten Luffy riled up, but that he had struck a nerve that had really hurt his captain.

"So what do we do?" Usopp asked, looking down sadly at the young pirate in Zoro's arms.

"Get him comfortable" Chopper answered somberly, "and let Luffy do his thing. His body finally gave him a chance to fight back and I know he won't let this opportunity pass."

- Eight Hours Later -

Luffy had been passing in and out of consciousness throughout his body's struggle with the Pindum inside of it. A part of him wanted to stay in the darkness, though it didn't keep him comfortable by any means. A fire had been lit in his veins and it was merciless, yet he held on to it with everything he had. He would burn forever if it meant freedom from his imprisoning body, so he let the fire consume him, let it course through his blood like a flood.

When he did wake up he could only take in blurry visions of color, acknowledging that the bed he was lying in was incredibly fluffy and soft, which was laughably ironic to him considering that he felt like he was being burned alive. He figured that had he been in any other condition his resting place would have been quite comfortable.

He dully acknowledged a choking sensation and warm liquid spilling out of his throat into his mouth, yet he was only vaguely aware of the discomfort as he dealt with more important things like the all-encompassing fire throughout his body.

Then the darkness finally took him completely and the pain was swallowed up in it along with whatever was left of consciousness.

It felt like years had gone by and yet it felt like it had been mere seconds at the same time when he opened his eyes again. He had no idea how long he had been out, nor did he really care. What he did care about was the colorful blurs hovering overhead as they began to sharpen into distinguishable figures.

His nakama.

His eyes met with Nami's, whose ginger-reds peered back gently, a smile on them that reflected the one on her lips. She lifted a hand and placed it on his cheek and the coolness of her touch absorbed the heat that had now dulled down to a low simmer.

"How are you feeling Luffy?" she asked, her tone soft.

He closed his eyes again, leaning his head into her gentle hand and letting his cheek press into her chilling fingers. A huge smile crept across his face and his eyebrows creased with emotion as he took in her touch.

"I'm feeling."

TBC…

DON'T FORGET THE LAST FEW CHAPTERS! It's not just going to be them sailing off after saying their goodbyes! More plot coming! seriously!

Yay for non-depressing stories! Cheers to all of you who believed in my approval of happy endings! Not the end yet though! There some more big reveals coming up so stick around to the end please! If you've lasted this long, by golly you can last two more chapters!

I've actually had this chapter done for a while now but I never got to cleaning it up on here. Like, It's been done for 2 weeks O_O

I'm sorry the chapter is so short, but I felt that that was a good stopping point for now.

THANK YOU FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS! I LOVE YOU ALL!

now to the reviews! which will probably be longer than the chapter itself... sorry...

and gosh... replying to you ever-faithful reviewers is gonna make me feel like crap for such a long hiatus on my part T_T but here i go

Recordatio001 - I don't think anything I put into this chapter would be enough for you to forgive me for such a long delay on updating T_T I'm so sorry! I hope you're still around

HeroR - I'm back to my usual record again... so sorry. Art college is very time consuming and distracting. that aside, thank you so much for the encouraging review! I definitely intend to go back and clean up the beginning of the fic (wow that was so long ago O_O). I find the concept of being parapalegic terrifying in a way and I guess that fear seeped into my plot-making.

Anime lover 3593 - apparently I'm really trying to get rid of you. I hope you are the anime lover that waited (yay Doctor Who reference... that I don't know if you'd get or not). I am so glad that the last chapter got you emotional ^_^ that was the goal so i am very happy it was successful. I know that last line was cruel... _ i hope this chapter helped :) thank you for reviewing and being so encouraging! do enjoy the rest of the fic

XFangHeartX - He should be getting happier now. Clearly there is a part of me who loves character angst... hence this entire fic XD thank you for reviewing! I hope you haven't forgotten about the fic in the time it took me to update.

caring16 - I loved your joke ^_^ and I am super happy you liked that last chapter, and I hope you're still around to enjoy this one. (man, responding to my reviewers is hard cause with each one of you i feel like i let you guys down T_T)

Llaelien - I hope this chapter answered all of your questions :) and thank you so much for the reviews that keep me going, and I am truly sorry I haven't updated sooner. You are so awesome to come back and remind me to update again! Hence the dedication ^_^ i really do hope you're still around to enjoy

InsanityDerivedBlindLove - this fic was definitely coated with Luffy angst (so maybe, just maybe, I share your feelings on the subject)

Lili - wooo, no account... I hope that doesn't mean you'll never know i updated T_T I deserve it i know. anyways, thank you so much for the review anyways! and I hope you finish the fic so you don't end on such a depressing note

darkness34 - lol, I feel so very important ^_^ you are too kind. and i repay you witha super-long delay... I am so sorry i didn't answere your prayer in decent time T_T I hope you still are around to finish the story with me

The Strike Freedom - thank you, I'm really a fan of character emotion in a story... like that's what makes me a fan of anything, digging into character's psychee. I'm super glad that I got a little of that in here ^_^ thanks so much

WezL - I'm so sorry for the slow update WezL... after you stuck with me so long. -_-' anyways, YOUR HOPE PAID OFF ^_^ I am a happy-ending kinda person!

Neko11- thank you for being wonderful and reviewing! I will finish this fic darn it! I just hope you still remember it when I finish up T_T thanks again, and I hope to have the next chapter out sooner than this one at least.

luffylover6673- if you're still around and are still reading this fic, thanks for the review! once again :) I like me some romances but don't worry, I don't think I'll be doing any time soon unless I get on some crazy romance hype... which, considering my relationship status at the moment, would probably just depress me.

EALM528 - you're awesome. I hope you still waited for me, after so long. thanks for being so understanding and I hope the rest of this fic makes it worth the wait ^_^

SUP- OHHH! you check my fic daily T_T and it's been weeks! I am so sorry *gets depressed when thinking of you checking every day only to be let down* I'm really glad you liked that chapter though. I'm a huge fan of bondy moments so I'm glad it turned out alright ^_^ hope you're still around, if not... all of your reviews were very much appreciated

one piece girl 99999- dawwww -^_^- thank you so much! *does Chopper dance* I'm so glad you've enjoyed it so far and I hope you're still around when this chap is updated. otherwise I'd imagine I left you with a very depressing taste in your mouth.

Kitty-bandit- look! a chapter that doesn't suck for Luffy! see! I still luv the guy what can i say ^_^ You've been so great with these last many chapters and so encouraging. I hope that you have stuck around long enough to see this fic come to its end :) if not, thank you so much for all of the encouragement up to this point ^_^ it really helped me keep going

mto92 - yay for optimism winning out in the end! I like angst, but im kinda a sucker for happy endings ^_^' hopefully humor to come (I think humour is one of the most important, and also the most difficult addition to any story) cause i know for certain that this chapter didn't have much in it. thanks again! till next time :)

ThetrueAmeliaP - my job here is done ^_^ thank you so much for reviewing and I hope you enjoy these last few chapters

Plural Force - wow thank you! thank you for giving my humble fanfic a chance! I know the beginning is a bit slow and kinda crappy (and still kind of is), so really, thanks for reading through it anyway. Also, I am so happy you like me OCs :D that makes my day! I don't much care for fanfic OCs myself so i honestly am surprised how far I went with these (would it sound funny if i told you i kind of got attached as i wrote them). your review really pushed me to get this next chapter out and I hope you enjoy these last two chapters :) your review made me very very happy

nightmoonhowl - wooohooooo! a fan ^_^ *is super happy* and yay for making readers cry

TheUpdateEncouragementAgency- *obeys* THANK YOU! I LOVE in-depth reviews :D they make me super happy and make me want to write more! (and lookie what popped out) and ohmygosh O_O u compared my plot to Oda's masterpiece, i am truly honored and flabergasted. It means a lot when someone takes the time to look into plot details the writer had to work out like timelines and OCs, and to say something to show you acknowledged it. I am truly happy ^_^ I hope you stick around to enjoy the last two chapters :) thanks again for giving me the boost needed to get me updating again.

And to the rest of you, THANKS FOR READING! (again) don't foget I have illustrations of this fic on deviantart, I'm Zinfer! also, anyone here a Doctor Who fan? I recently have really gotten into the series and was considering writing a fanfic for it. I know it's a different style of show but lemme know what you think


	60. Discovery

Today is my 21st birthday ^_^ so what better way to celebrate than to update my fanfiction!

Thank you all for being so patient for these last two chapters! I dedicate this chapter to LeeSUP who came back after all these weeks to remind me that they still are awaiting an update.

It would be so wonderful if I could get to 500 reviews by the last chapter, that would just make my fanfiction Christmas wish come true. If this fic gets that successful, I would seriously consider starting a new one.

Anyhows, on with the story!

- Crew -

Not a single eye was left dry as the crew cheered and shouted with joy for their captain. Luffy was given more hugs than he could keep up with, being yanked around in every direction and his laughter muffled by shoulders and arms. He was still too weak to return their enthusiasm but just feeling their touch was more than enough to satisfy him. His muscles were terribly stiff and alien now, allowing him to take note of each individual one and anticipate using them again.

The bicep would be good for reaching up and grabbing the mast, he would definitely be swinging around there once he got his strength back. His abs would be good for sitting up, his calves for running and jumping, his quads for squatting down and his triceps for climbing. For now though, he would absorb himself with the simple sensation of enjoying the touch of his friends, letting them do most of the work since he knew that testing out his muscles too soon would only lead to cramps having attempting it once already, so he let his crew do the moving.

Soon the marines rushed in, having heard the celebration from the camp. Upon their arrival at the clearing the men were greeted with excited hugs from the giddy crewmates, still unaware of the reason for their enthusiasm. They were quick to be informed and soon a cheer could be heard throughout the ranks, a celebration that had been held off since their victory over the commanders due to the somberness of the situation regarding the captain's physical state. Now they had free-rein to dance and sing for joy now that the storm was finally over.

Canaan, Paul, and Sky pushed their way to the front of the crowd, the three of them dog-piling the young captain not-gently. Luffy welcomed their embrace with equal enthusiasm, dying to roughhouse them back but, once again, letting them do all the moving instead. A few seconds in Canaan popped his head up, eyeing the rest of the crew.

"Is it ok for us to… you know…"

Nami grinned and nodded.

"Go ahead, if anything he needs to get movement back into his system anyway."

"In that case" Paul said happily, lifting Luffy by his armpits and swinging him into the air causing the pirate to laugh happily, giddy to be feeling like a person rather than an inanimate object.

"Hey look I'm all bendy again" he exclaimed, his eyes widening enthusiastically as he looked down at his arms which were now flopping around loosely.

"You know, there was a time when that would really freak me out" Paul said, looking down at the product of his actions.

Sky's face reflected his curiosity as he lifted his friend's arm to bring it to his eye-level, pulling it out a few more inches than it would go naturally.

"Ridiculous" he muttered, tugging at it with amusement "I'm impressed with how far you developed such a funny ability."

"It's not funny, it's way hardcore" Luffy countered defensively.

Sky cocked an eyebrow then bounced the pirate's arm like a slingshot, making a boing noise as it wobbled back in forth. A smirk crossed his face as he eyed Luffy who was looking at his arm like it had betrayed him.

"He has a point Luffy" Zoro pitched in, grinning mischievously "it's hard to take that seriously."

"It's seriously awesome and hardcore and you guys are just stupid not to see that" Luffy retorted with defiance.

Laughter echoed through the clearing as the marines and pirates bickered and cheered the final victory of the past few weeks. It was as if everyone had kept their energy bundled inside for the pirate captain's sake so he wouldn't have to acknowledge his disabilities.

A wrestling match broke out between a dozen or so of the men, Zoro joining in, soon to be followed by his blonde rival after he had taunted the cook for not wanting to get his suit dirty. The two pirates looked very much out of their zone fighting each other in a form not requiring a killing intent. Only a few of the marines dared to take on the mighty crewmates, most of them leaving the fight a little more than bruised. Eventually they all backed off and cast bids on whom of the two monsters would end up triumphant. To everyone's dismay, the match was left at a draw when Nami broke it up upon the realization that they both had each other in finishing holds and were well on their way to either dislocate or break each other's limbs.

All the while the others were pulling and poking at Luffy, testing out how much they could get him to move on his own. Eventually they all got impatient and started tickling him instead, Usopp being the initiator.

As the day went on, everyone made preparations for a celebration that night, putting together a huge bonfire and fixing more food than the marine cooks thought possible to eat, yet Sanji assured them that Luffy would take care of whatever excess leftovers remained.

By the time the sun had set and the crowd had come together for the party, Luffy had managed to build up movement back into his arms and was ready to take on the feast awaiting him. Of all of the actions he practiced to build up for the evening, eating with his own power was his main focus.

The entire crew felt like they were floating as the day went by, seeing their captain full of enthusiasm and excitement again, and no longer having to see that look of shame that had tormented them since his condition became known. Helping him down to where the bonfire would be held brought a joy over them that they had forgotten.

The fire's glow reflected off of every face in the crowd, all grinning and laughing as the conversations got louder and more exuberant. The celebration was massive with hundreds of marines surrounding the pirates and everyone talking over one another. Food was served in an unorganized manner but in great bounty as dish after dish was passed around filled with pork, beef, potatoes and bread, all fixed with the guidance of Sanji himself.

Luffy's hands and mouth were working faster than his eyes as he shot his arms in every direction, grabbing whatever edible-feeling substance he could get a hold of and shoving it into his mouth till nothing else could fit. Still he continued however, shoving more food into the pile formulating in his mouth just for it to fall out onto the ground.

"Oi Luffy!" Usopp yelled in annoyance "there's food friggin everywhere and you're grabbing mine! I think you're doing it on purpose!"

His voice was drowned out by the singing and yelling of the crowd, leaving him smiling as he scrambled for more food. His rubber friend could have taken every crumb of his meal and he would be no less happy than he was at that moment.

Chopper kept a watchful eye on Luffy's arms as they snagged anything and everything in their path knowing that it would be no oddity for the boy to grab something small and meaty like himself to add to his cluster of food.

There was a crowd of marines around Robin and Nami, all of them shamelessly flirting with the two lovely females. For their own amusement, the historian and navigator went along with the romantics, accepting gifts and poetry. None had ventured to flirt or have much fun during Luffy's paralyzed condition, so they made a point to make up for all of the lost days they had been forced to admire from a distance.

Despite his business with the food, Sanji managed to find time to leave a few bumps on each of their heads as the crowd continued to grow.

As the hours went on the party became livelier as the food vanished and the men began to entertain the crowd in different ways, showing off their different talents or fighting abilities. The star of the show though ended up being Sky who had been practicing his new ability to control the seastone. Having discovered that he could manipulate the element from its dried hardened state back to liquid form, he had been experimenting with creating shapes out of the magma. The last few weeks he'd been keeping his developing skills to himself, never finding it appropriate to show it when his friends had lost so much. Now though he was more than ready to give them a show.

Centering himself in front of the fire he brought up spirals of the creamy liquid, forming what appeared to be an invisible globe around him. The crowd cheered in awe, shouting for more of the show. He obliged, sending the pillars of magma twisting around the fire.

Luffy seemed the most thrilled of all, giddy as he joined the rest of his friends in shouting for more. Chopper looked over confused as how hyper his captain was when so close to the sea stone material, for as amused as he was, he was still feeling the effects of the sea prism. He could see that Robin was also weakening a bit by being close to it, but Luffy was still bouncing and bubbly at the show.

"Make a lion!" the captain cheered, lifting his food-filled hands into the air.

Sky grinned up, shifting his arms to manipulate the pale magma into a cluster above him, struggling to form distinguishable shapes. Soon though it started to resemble the lion requested and he smiled in approval of his success.

"AWESOMMEE!" Luffy yelled in delight, having momentarily forgotten his appetite.

"Do a horse next- no a shark! No! Make a ghost! No no! Do a dragon! A dragon!" Requests were being shouted out from across the crowd, the low rumble of conversation now become a roar of excitement.

"Shall we have a duel!" Canaan challenged, sauntering up to Sky in a taunting fashion.

The younger marine brought the prism up like extra arms, taking on the challenge. The fight was more of a show, Canaan doing flips and kicks, soon to be joined by Paul when Sky's defense proved to be unmatched.

All the while Luffy was working up his strength, clearly itching to join the fight. He hadn't been able to move in so long and he was dying to do combat so little by little he stretched his legs out and moved them around. Soon he was working his way to his feet, shakily, but enough to get his crew's attention.

Zoro came to his side, watching him protectively as his captain struggled to remember how to work his limbs again. It was like a dream to see Luffy striving for something, and to see his progress move along so quickly was so encouraging. The food seemed to have increased the speed of his recovery, and before long he was on his feet, wavering dangerously, but in no danger of falling with his first-mate behind him.

Before anyone could stop him, Luffy sent an arm shooting towards his three marine friends, yelling as he went.

"I want to fight a dragon!"

"Luffy?" Canaan, Sky and Paul all exclaimed in surprised unison.

Everyone's eyes became as round as pool-balls, shocked that the pirate had the strength to use his abilities to that extent , and alarmed that he was shooting himself towards an impressive amount of liquid seatone.

"Oi oi oi! Luffy!" Usopp shouted, not knowing exactly what his outburst would accomplish.

Sky rushed to get his plasma out of the way, but quickly realized the pirate was heading right into the fire, apparently not yet capable of accurate aim, so instead he returned the seastone to the air as a safety net.

Luffy smacked right into the quickly hardened prism, bouncing off like his usual rubber self. Though most of the onlookers didn't think much of this, Robin cocked her head with confusion that her captain had retained his devil-fruit abilities despite making contact with the counter-element.

Rolling back onto his butt, Luffy quickly began to struggle back to his feet.

"Well that was exciting" he exclaimed laughing.

"You're insane" Canaan replied as he helped the pirate to his feet.

"A-aren't you feeling a bit weak?" Paul cut in, his eyebrows furrowing in worry and curiosity.

"Well I feel sore if that's what you mean."

The three marines looked at each other with confusion.

Most of the crowd had grown quiet as they strained to hear what was being said in the center stage.

Sky carefully formed a long arm of seastone and brought it closer to the captain, who looked at the creamy material with an expression the others couldn't read, like a wild curiosity.

Everyone's attention became fixated on the pirate and young marine as Luffy reached out towards the slowly descending prism.

Zoro felt a strong chill of pride come over him as he watched his captain embrace what had almost taken everything from him, his adventurous nature stronger than any other man he'd ever met. It was as if the curiosity Luffy was portraying was overpowering his protective desire to rush up there and get between his friend and the oncoming threat.

The crowd held their breath as the pale liquid made contact with the boy's bare arm, the touch seeming almost gentle, embracing. To everyone's shock, Luffy didn't waver under the element but instead twisted his hand to see how the material would adapt to his movements.

"What the crap…" Sanji said to himself, almost dropping his tray of drinks.

"How are you…?" Sky asked curiously, bringing more of the prism up and around the boy in front of him to see if he would get any reaction.

Luffy just giggled in amusement, loosing balance on his still-healing legs only to be supported by the surrounding seastone under Sky's control.

"I don't believe it" Canaan said, running his hands through his hair.

"But that's seastone" Nami exclaimed, her eyes wide in shock, matching most of the people around her.

"Fight it Luffy!" Jason yelled, leaving the track of disbelief the rest of the group was on and moving back into the mood of entertainment.

"Yosh!" Luffy exclaimed bringing his arms up and taking a fighting stance, "I want to fight a dragon!"

"He can't be serious?" Chopper asked, looking at Robin for answers only to see that her expression had already changed from confusion to amusement.

"Very well" Sky replied, bringing the seastone back to himself then condensing it above his head forming a long thin snake-like creature of prism. The onlookers shouted and cheered with approval as he began to form wings out of the hovering liquid, finally forming a menacing creature poised ready for battle with the excited pirate.

As soon as the monster took form Luffy attacked causing Sky to stumble back, struggling to retain the form of his new sculpture. Upon the initiation of the battle, the spectators cheers reached their peak of volume, rumbling through the woods like thunder.

Luffy was an explosion of energy and excitement, flailing his arms around almost-recklessly, the feeling of his limbs in motion and the thrill of battle consuming him. Before long, Sky got the hang of his creation, presenting a challenging opponent. Whenever Luffy stumbled or fell, Paul and Canaan were there to steady him and get him going again.

After a few minutes each of the performers were panting from exertion; Luffy's strength finally giving out, leaving him supported with his arm around Paul's shoulder. Sky plopped down to the ground, letting the seastone prism drop lifelessly around him.

The crowd gave a final cheer, chanting Luffy's name as the victor. Soon the rest of the Straw Hat crew made their way down to their captain. Nami rushed up to him, crushing him into a bear hug, followed by the rest of their nakama who piled up around them.

Chopper quickly checked him over for burns or odd markings, coming back baffled when he found nothing out of the ordinary.

"How did you… no… Sky, how did you keep it from burning him? It's practically acid right?" Zoro asked, assured that his memory was accurate that the seastone magma had indeed burned him.

"More importantly" Chopper broke in before Sky could reply "why wasn't Luffy weakened by the prism? That is seastone right?"

"I don't get it either" Sky replied, dumbfounded "it's definitely seastone. I would say that the acidic nature of the prism came from its natural magma form. I'm only changing its physical makeup by my own ability."

The crew looked at him blankly, accepting his explanation without understanding it.

He sighed and rubbed his head.

"Let's just say, the fact that the seastone is liquid doesn't mean it's acidic, but it must be liquid to be acidic."

"Works for me."

"Yup."

"Sounds good."

"Makes sense."

Robin chuckled at her crewmates.

"Luffy" Chopper tried again "how did you know the seastone wouldn't affect you?"

"I didn't" the captain responded with a laugh.

"That was so reckless!" Chopper yelled in shock.

"So why didn't it affect him?" Usopp demanded, once again not expecting a response but throwing the question out anyway.

"I can venture a guess" said Alvida, coming down to the small group, followed by Orrin who still kept protectively by her side.

Most of the crew scowled at her, still struggling to forgive her for what she had done but no one spoke in disapproval, curious to hear her idea.

"What's that?" Canaan asked.

"It could be that, when Luffy's body finally rejected the seastone in his system it built up a resistance to the prism. It might be that he's immune to it now, since it was in him for so long his body developed a natural resistance to it."

The crewmates all shared faces that read "oh I get it."

"So…" Nami stated in disbelief "are you telling me Luffy is now immune to seastone?"

"Looks like it" Alvida answered, her expression also of fascination over the turn of events.

"No way!" Usopp exclaimed with approval "Luffy! You're freakin' immune to seastone! You're practically uncatchable now!"

"WOOHOO!" Luffy shouted out, bouncing up and down to be joined by the marksman and Chopper. The trio began to jump around excitedly at the discovery as the others grinned at the celebration.

"This puts us at a great advantage" Robin said, resting a hand under her chin "a devil-fruit user immune to seastone is unheard of to the rest of the world."

As the fire died down and the crowd began to turn in for the night, the small band of friends stayed up discussing the new discovery whilst Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper rushed around playing games through the woods.

It wasn't until the sun began to make itself known in the east that they decided to make their way to their beds. Luffy of course, wasn't even thinking about sitting still yet, still practicing stretching his arms at targets like rocks and trees. As the others went to sleep he took some time for himself. Since he became paralyzed he had constantly been under supervision so he kept quiet to let the others get their sleep, slipping off into woods.

Zoro was the last to turn in, still keeping an eye on his captain, but knowing his friend needed some alone time, he allowed himself to finally fall asleep.

The sunrise was beautiful so Luffy shot himself up into a tree to get a better view. All was quiet aside from the rustle of tree limbs and the distant sound of the waves breaking on the beach below. He took a deep breath; it smelled fresh for what felt like the first time in years. At that moment he allowed his eyes to slip shut, simply taking in the feeling of the sun touching his skin and the wind skipping over his arms and face in light gusts. He took in the feeling of the fabric of his shirt brushing against his chest, of his straw hat sitting firmly on his head, and the rough bark under his feet as he had refused to put shoes on since his feeling returned.

He felt something wet trickling down his cheek and he opened his eyes to realize that he was crying as his vision blurred with tears. He didn't bother wiping them away as he knew that more would just take their place as his emotions of the last few hours finally overcame him. He silently let the joy of the moment take him and he took Shanks' hat from his head and placed it over his chest, gripping it tightly.

An hour passed before his private time was interrupted as he heard the crunching of feet below him. Looking down he saw Sky heading his way, a batch of seastone following him (which he now kept at his side wherever he went). Upon spotting Luffy, the marine used the prism to lift himself up to the pirate's tree branch, plopping beside his friend with a smile.

"You going to go to sleep soon?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Heck no" Luffy replied flatly.

"In that case" the marine replied, grinning mischievously "I want to try something with you, care to join me?"

"Sure!"

"Shhhh, you have to keep it a secret."

"Huh? Why?"

"Just follow me, I'll tell you when we get there."

Luffy grinned excitedly; giddy to be going on an adventure again. So silently the two friends slipped down away from the camp.

TBC….

I'm still alive! And off for Christmas break! SO yay for back to fanfiction! That's right everyone! One more chapter! After all this time my fic is finally coming to an end!

To all my loyal readers… you amaze me and I am honored to give you more One Piece to entertain you with. Now wasn't that a surprise! Luffy, immune to seastone I know that doesn't fit into the rest of the canon but that's how I planned the fic… so sorry for those who disapprove of non-canonical fics, that's just how this one turned out.

Now for review replys!

The Lost Ones- Awww, thank you so much ^_^ I wonder if you had a prophecy of this update as well. That'd be awesome XD I know this has been my longest delay in a while, but in my defense I should have the last chapter out before Christmas! I hope you enjoy the ending of my story.

Avatoa- *sweatdrops* sowwy for the really slow update _ I got caught up in the holidays. THANK YOU FOR STILL READING ANYHOWS T_T enjoy the last chapter!

XFangHeartX- Thanks for sticking with me ^_^ Your reviews have really made this fun to write. I will update sooner next time so you won't have to wait so long.

Red Viodent Dragon- thank you! As you can see the last two chapters are going to be decently long (see, I underestimate how much is actually involved in plot points) so the last chapter's probably gonna be super long. I hope it is to your approval and I want you to know your reviews have been such an encouragement ^_^ I want to get better and better at writing and create something really good now.

EALM528- you are so wonderful! Thank you for sticking with me to the end! I am so happy you are enjoying the fic and I hope the ending closes it off well.

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Darkness34- oh you everfaithfulreader! I can't tell you how much your reviews have helped in keeping me going to the end of this fic. I can't believe I made it to the end. Thank you thank you thank you. I'm sorry for the long wait. You've been so great to keep up with my little fic. Do enjoy the final chapter.

Anime lover 3593- I've gotten very much into Doctor Who recently, so I shall now highly suggest you give it a shot. Now I'm working really hard to get rid of you -_-' I don't mean to I promise! I want to keep updating regularly but life keeps happening to me! Thank you for sticking with me for so long! You are so good to me despite my inconsistency T_T do enjoy the last chapter.

Neko11- I'm so glad you enjoyed the last chapter ^_^ and it makes me so happy to hear you like my writing. I'm trying to get better (and your encouragement really pushed me to work harder) Thank you so much! Your reviews make my day and keep me writing. I love them very much. I sincerely hope you enjoy the last chapter.

LeeSUP- You are so awesome to kick me back into motion. I am so sorry for making you wait so long after you have been such a faithful and kind reviewer. I am super happy you enjoyed that last chapter and I seriously hope this last chapter pleases you. I've been working to get better at writing and your encouragement has really pumped me to keep going and strive to improve my technique.

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Luffylover6673- I am fascinated by your name changing technique XD but hey, the more reviews the merrier! XD Thank you so much for continuing to read my fic despite my slow updates. You've been great and I hope you enjoy the final chapter.

OneDreamADay- thank you for taking the time to review! That was very encouraging. I know I have a lot of improving to do if I want to be a good writer but knowing that progress is being made motivates me to work harder. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter ^_^

SoulAI2- sheesheeshee I'm kind of cruel to the characters I love… but as you can see I would never do anything permanent. Dawwwww, I am SO happy that my fic brought out some tears, that means the world to me. That's what I'm striving for so to hear that you're getting into it just makes my day ^_^ I hope you stick around for the final chapter. Thanks so much for the review!

Xkittybluex- Thanks for taking the time to review! I hope I didn't take too long to update, but either way I'm very happy you've enjoyed it so far. Woooo, Austria! How awesome :D

Kitty-bandit- WOW! Just like old times XD you comment and I update immediately. Maybe it's fate O_o either way, Thank you for coming back and reminding me that you're still there to support me. Oh and it makes my day to know that you cried last chapter, cause it means so much when I strive to make a scene emotional and hear that my readers actually reacted how I had hoped. You've been so fantastic and so encouraging to me these last few months. I can't believe I've finally reached the end after all these years T_T I hope you enjoy the final piece to this ridiculously long puzzle. Thank you again.

And to all you other readers! THANKS FOR READING! I am so happy to have someone to share my little tale with! Once again, I intend to get the last chapter out before Christmas so keep an eye out. ^_^


	61. For Nakama

- Zoro -

Restless, that was the word. Zoro couldn't remember the last time he'd stayed in the same location for such a long time since Luffy had rescued him from the marines the first time they had met. Never had he felt more like a pirate than the times when he longed for the sea, for the next challenge, the next adventure. He was never one to get giddy or bounce around like most of the crew, but he found great amusement in seeing his nakama do so.

It had been two days since Luffy was freed from the hold the sea-prism had on his body and the crew had been loading up the Merry Go for travel once again. The marines were happy to share their supplies to prepare them for their trip, and the only reason they stayed as long as they did was their friends insisting they stick around a little longer now that their captain was up and about.

Yet today was the day; today the crew started to load the ship for travel and Zoro, having already worked out (doing triple his usual routine since he had slacked off during Luffy's time of weakness, fearing it would taunt the boy) was sitting on a steep hillside, leaning against the boulder he had been lifting seconds earlier.

A voice called for him a few yards away, he recognized it as Usopp's as the marksman's head popped up from the base of the grassy slope.

"Oi! Zoro! Get down here! There's a picnic going on down at the beach!"

The swordsman smirked at the silly concept of a picnic. He, the great swordsman of the sea, the pirate hunter, going down to the beach to eat sandwiches and drink lemonade… well, maybe some lemonade, then he could move on to something a bit more pirate-esque.

So the pirates trekked down to the same beach the marines had taken Luffy several weeks before. The sun shown brightly over the cove, making the entire shoreline glow with colors of blue and green that seemed to melt into the clear waters that were filled with even more hues of every kind. Luffy was already on the beach, joined by Canaan, Sky, and Paul who were keeping themselves busy with a sandcastle making contest.

Luffy and Sky were paired up against Canaan and Paul and were losing considerably. While Sky was dead-set on having a pre-determined blue-print for a complex tower, Luffy ignored everything he came up with and continuously shoved heaping piles of sand on top of all of the marine's hard work. This, in-turn, provoked Sky to kick down the lumps of sand that didn't fit into his plan, which provoked Luffy to start flinging the excess sand at the offending friend.

After twenty minutes of work, Canaan and Paul had managed to form a decent looking lion relief near the edge of the water while Sky and Luffy had formed their own mountain range that spread several yards down the beach.

Zoro laughed heartily as the two victors taunted their frustrated opponents, plopping down on a beach towel nearby and removing his shirt. Robin, Nami, and Chopper were already there, the picnic basket already open and food being set out like a feast by Sanji.

"OI! Don't eat yet!" Luffy shouted as another clump of sand hit him across the head, leaving tiny tan particles stuck in his hair and on his face.

Zoro put down the sandwich he had grabbed with a pout, then looked up to see what his captain was bugging him about.

Luffy was tripping over himself as he rushed towards the picnic area, as if he would have to physically keep them from chowing down before he showed them whatever he had to show.

"Get up! I have something to show you!" He demanded, giving no indication of what he intended to do.

Still reveling in the constant movement their captain displayed, they all got to their feet, curious now that he hadn't told them anything yet.

"Ok, now follow me" Luffy declared as he ran off towards the south side of the beach.

"Oi! Luffy! Wait up!" Usopp shouted as he struggled to keep a running pace with the sand sucking at his feet with each stride.

"At least tell us what we're going to see!" Nami demanded as she too struggled to keep up with the energetic boy.

No one was expecting a response and none was given.

They finally caught up to him, seeing he had stopped at the base of a seventy-foot cliff that coiled up with glistening knotted stone that had clearly been weathered by the first volcanic eruption. It stretched out over their heads, the vibrant water a much darker shade than at the beachside, indicating it was fairly deeper where they had come.

"Well, this is a lovely place… but I don't think it lives up to your level of urgent enthusiasm Luffy" Sanji said curiously.

"Just wait here" Luffy said excitedly as he dashed off, leaving the pirates and the marines standing awkwardly at the edge of the water. They didn't have to wait long as, just a few seconds later, they heard their captain's voice echoing down from the top of the cliff.

"Up here guys!" he shouted, waving a hand to catch their attention. They waved back, still lost as to what their friend was up to. Robin eyed Sky suspiciously, seeing that he didn't seem at all confused at the pirate's actions.

"Watch this!" he shouted, disappearing from sight. A few seconds passed and his head popped over the ledge again, small pebbles tumbling down to indicate he had skidded to a halt. "And don't move or do anything! Robin! None of that handsy thing you do!"

Zoro chuckled at his captain's awkward choice of words and smirked over at the historian. Robin just raised her eyebrows and looked at him with an expression that easily read "try and act like an adult."

Of course Usopp, Canaan and Paul were cracking up and she ignored them completely.

"HELLOOOO" they heard Luffy shout with an annoyed tone "I said watch!"

"What exactly are we looking at!" Usopp shouted after his friend disappeared again.

His response was a distant "just watch" which was barely audible over the grinding of the water over the base of the cliff.

Zoro's eyes widened as the mystery of it all was revealed as Luffy took a massive leap off the edge of the cliff; right over the water. The raven-haired boy had jumped forward into a lazy back-flip, his arms spread out eagle as he rolled his body into a dive.

Initially Zoro's instinct was to jump out to catch his captain before he hit the water, but he looked so free and confident the swordsman felt a stronger force keep his feet planted and allow his expression to transform to awe once more. There went Luffy again, reminding him that he was absolutely fearless and unbroken despite the trauma he'd been forced to experience over the last few months. So the first-mate stayed put as his captain cut into the deep-blue water.

"What the heck!" Sanji shouted as he hastily kicked off his shoes "did he make such a fuss just so we could watch him jump into the water and make us drag his sorry butt out?"

The cook was about to jump in when he was halted by a wall of liquid seastone.

"Wait" Sky said in response to Sanji's disbelieving expression.

At that instant everyone gawked at the small marine, the light bulbs flickering on in their heads.

"No way…" Nami gasped out, looking back at the water where her captain had yet to re-surface.

"Are you saying he can-"

Usopp was interrupted by the sound of splashing and he to shot his gaze back at the water to see Luffy, his friend that would do better as an anchor in the water than a person, keeping his head above water by spastically waving his arms and kicking his feet.

As awkward and clumsy as the boy looked, barely keeping his head above water, their captain was swimming. He was actually swimming.

"Oh my gosh!" Chopper squealed in dazzled excitement, and before anyone could stop him he jumped into the water himself, successfully breaking the surprised spell everyone had been under.

"Oi! You moron!" Sanji shouted as he jumped in after the reindeer, who clearly was still unable to swim.

"I can't believe it…" Zoro muttered in disbelief.

"Look at me guys!" Luffy was shouting "I can *gurgle*-*cough* swim!"

"Yeah but you suck at it!" Usopp yelled back in good-humor as he readjusted his swimming trunks and canon-ball'd into the cool water. Nami laughed and gracefully dove in after him.

"How is this… possible?" Zoro asked, looking over at Sky for explanation.

"Well you can probably guess and get close."

"I'd say" Robin pitched in "that since Luffy developed an immunity to the seastone, which is the condensed and more powerful form of the sea itself, he in-turn developed an immunity to the ocean as well."

"Makes sense" Zoro said with a shrug "did you know about this Cana-"

The splash to his side indicated that the older marine had already left the conversation he hadn't been a part of.

"No he didn't know" Sky chuckled "but apparently he's not too concerned."

"Get in here!" Canaan demanded as he splashed Paul, who jumped to the side, clearly not in the mood to get wet.

"Oh don't be a girl" the older marine smirked, sending a much larger wave of water in the horrified boy's direction, effectively drenching him.

"Why you-!" Paul growled, dive-bombing his friend and dragging him underwater for a violent dunking.

Zoro laughed then followed suit, diving in to join the others. He quickly made his way over to his captain to make sure the boy didn't overexert himself.

A soaking chopper was left by Robin who smiled happily with the entertaining scene before her, enjoying the cool water splashing across her feet as the boys roughhoused.

The picnic was all but forgotten.

- 2 hours later -

It had taken the group quite some time to settle down; Luffy having to be dragged back to the shore, clearly exhausted but fighting to stay in the water as long as possible.

Zoro had thrown him onto the smooth rocks and climbed up after him to make sure he didn't slip back in and drown with no help from the devil-fruit disability. As the others had finished up their fun, Sky had explained how he had wanted to test and see if Luffy was immune to sea water, and once they had discovered he was he practically had to hold the boy hostage to keep him from telling his crewmates. He had successfully convinced the captain to keep it a secret until he could swim to make it a better surprise. From that point on he had been working with him to teach him to float and to swim enough to keep his head above water.

Though Sky had known Luffy was a very capable fighter, enough to reveal he had had experienced with some training, he was amazed at how quickly the boy was able to pick up on his teaching. Despite the pirate's ADD nature and seemingly irresponsible tendencies, he was one of the fastest learners he had ever seen.

Once the others had finished up, the picnic was brought back to their attention as the distraction of swimming finished its run. Suddenly all famished, the group charged back, knowing that if Luffy made it back first there would be nothing left to indulge on.

As the evening commenced, the tired friends laid out around a campfire as the sunset dimmed to twilight; each crewmember allowing their eyes to linger on their captain a bit longer than necessary as they took in his unhindered joy that radiated off of him like a physical force and soaked into their own souls.

It was the happiest any of them had been in a long time, and they knew the marine's shared their sentiments as Canaan told jokes and the usually stoic Paul and Sky broke into wholehearted grins and laughed genuinely. The exhaustion had swept over all of them making them giddy and more open than usual circumstances.

As the fire dimmed down and the group began to fall asleep one at a time, the conversations became softer and more somber. Soon only Zoro remained awake, staring up at the night sky speckled with stars before turning his eyes back to his snoring captain who had managed to stay asleep despite having Usopp eventually fall asleep sprawled across him and Chopper soon after making his way on top of Usopp's head. Chuckling quietly at how easy it was to depict who fell asleep in which order, Zoro drew his attention once more to that restlessness that was making itself known in the back of his mind.

Hearing the lulling waves slosh lazily across the beach fed the desire to travel that vast black plain before him once more. It was infinite, thrilling, and he was grateful to have a captain who shared his longing to trek its vastness…. Or possibly a captain who had sparked that longing in him to begin with. He knew that they would be off soon. Now that Luffy had learned to swim, he was certain they would be gone by tomorrow.

With that comforting though lulling him to sleep along with the soft rhythm of the waves echoing down the beach, he soon followed the others into peaceful oblivion.

Happy. That wasn't really his thing, but here it was, filling his spirit and making him feel alien even to himself. Yet he couldn't deny it as his eyes slipped closed; Pirate Hunter Zoro was truly happy.

-The next morning -

"TIME TO SET SAIL!" Luffy shouted as he bounced around the deck, making his way up the mast to look over the beckoning sea that Zoro had been longing for the night before.

"AYE-AYE CAPTAIN!" The rest of the crew replied together as the last of the supplies made its way onto the ship.

The marines had all come to bid the pirates goodbye, filling the dock and stretching across the boardwalk behind it. It was a massive crowd, all ready to send their new friends off with a cheerful backing.

At the front of the crowd stood Paul, Sky, Canaan, and Jason, all with big grins on their faces and moisture in their eyes. Alvida and Orrin stood to the side, their own small boat loaded and ready to ship off. Bansi had decided to stay on the island now that Orrin had successfully gotten Alvida back. When invited to join the two of them he insisted that he was too old to be traveling so much, and he felt much safer on the island with these marines than out on the sea where the water is free to all sorts of ruffians.

Not much had been said to Alvida, though Orrin was given his thanks more times that he could count. He figured that the greatest thank-you had been the forgiveness the pirate crew had shown towards Alvida. Though it was a rare occasion when they spoke to her kindly, they had let her off scotch free, and what had amazed him the most was the lack of hostility Luffy had shown towards her.

*Flashback 2 weeks*

_Luffy's eyes gazed dully up at the ceiling as his useless body remained sprawled across a bed that he knew was comfortable which made him angry. He knew it was in their best interest to give him special treatment, but if they had really thought it through they would have known that the visibly fluffy comforter and pillow would just taunt him, remind him that he could no longer appreciate such things._

_Suddenly Orrin was beside him, looking more awkward than usual (which was saying a lot, because being associated with Alvida made most social interactions with the others very uncomfortable). The red-head rubbed his hands together in a massaging fashion and took a seat beside the unmoving pirate, looking all around the room to avoid eye-contact with the bed-ridden boy. Yet Luffy kept his gaze locked on the man in the chair, waiting for an explanation for his visit._

_"I…. uh… just wanted to check and see how you were doing."_

_Luffy blinked in annoyance. He knew darned well that was not why Orrin was there and he wished the man would cut to the chase so he could get back to staring at the ceiling (which he had now discovered had twenty-two beams resting across the six supporting two-by-fours).  
_

_He didn't understand his bitter mood nor his reason for wishing Orrin to get to the point. There really wasn't anything better he had to do than to listen to the man stumble over his words._

_"I'm doing the same. Thanks for asking."_

_"Yeah I guess so… sorry… umm" Orrin was massaging his hands again "I also came to ask you a question."_

_"Thought so."_

_"Yeah, well… I was just wondering…. Not to push my luck or anything, but why haven't you… you know… gotten your crew to go after Alvida yet for getting you into this mess?"_

_Luffy blinked, surprised by the question._

_"I-I mean, I'm grateful. Really I am. It's just… I was ready to run away and escape with her if the situation arose but you haven't brought it up. It just surprises me and I couldn't help but wonder why."_

_With his question asked, Orrin finally shifted his gaze to lock with Luffy's, an expression of apology and earnest wrinkling across his eyebrows._

_"It's just" Luffy said, not breaking eye-contact "I don't think I can handle something else weighing on me right now. I don't have the time. Mulling over revenge can only hurt me at this point."_

_"But don't you want justice? Don't you want to avenge yourself?"_

_"Nah" Luffy replied "too much trouble. If I wanted to deal in justice I would be a marine."_

*end flashback*

Who ever heard of a pirate who practiced mercy on such a scale? It was ridiculous, but it also filled him with respect for the young captain. It was easy to hate and hold grudges against those who wronged you (Alvida herself could attest to that) but to forgive someone that wrong. To take the full weight of that wrong on one's own shoulders… it was both honorable and freeing.

Alvida had expectedly been the most uncomfortable of all, but she had braved up and apologized formerly to Luffy's face, admitting her many terrible mistakes and wishing she'd never made them. She also went through the marine camp and apologized to the men she had been deceiving for so long. None of her apologies were accepted with welcome or loving arms, but to her relief, the joy of victory and the return of Luffy's ability to move had so outweighed their frustration towards her that any heat with her had made its way to the backburner.

Now she and Orrin were prepared to ship off, their goal to start a new pirate crew and explore the Grand Line. It was bold and foolish perhaps, but with her experience and the newly found trust she had in her companion, she knew her true pirating days had just begun.

Not expecting a grand sendoff like the one the Straw Hat crew was getting, Orrin quickly untied their boat from the dock and allowed the ship to coast out of the bay. Looking back he acknowledged an appreciative and kind look in the eyes of those he had lead into the depths of the base to rescue their nakama. This came both from the Straw Hat crew and the four marines who stood at the foremost part of the dock. Nodding a silent farewell, he tipped a lazy salute, thankful for the goodhearted goodbye he had received and then turned confidently to Alvida (who he could now officially call his own since they had been married by the chaplain at the base). It was going to be one heck of a honeymoon… an endless one at that.

As they sailed out of eyeshot the two friends locked gazes with each other. Smiling, Orrin took Alvida's soft black hair into his hands and pulled her lips to his own, welcoming her into a full embrace as the two expressed the trust and love that had been lost between them for so long, now returned to them in an unconditional and true faith in their companion.

- Back at the Dock-

Jumping down to give his final goodbyes, Luffy made his way through the crowd of marines, followed by the rest of the crew, shaking hands and hugging with the closer acquaintances they had made. Usopp eventually made his way to Paul, the first friend he'd made on the island.

Smirking knowingly at the marksman, Paul lifted his hand to reveal a beautiful pistol, similar to the dual pistols he used as his weapon of choice.

"You know, you're not too bad of a shot Usopp" he said with a wily grin "if you practice enough with this thing, maybe you'll hit something."

Usopp stuck out his tongue as he accepted the gift. "When you can hit a target with a slingshot, then you can make jokes about my shooting skills. That, and you know I hit more of where I was aiming than you did."

"Whatever makes you feel better" Paul said, giving a terribly insincere look of compassion.

Usopp punched him in the arm but before turning back to the Merry Go he sobered up and looked his friend in the eye.

"In all seriousness Paul, I don't think we'd have had a chance at surviving all of this without you man. Heck, I wouldn't have made it out of town that first time if you hadn't taken a risk and helped me out. You didn't owe us anything but stuck your neck out for perfect strangers… and pirates at that. So for that, you have my thanks."

Usopp's eyes were bubbling with tears and snot was coming out of his nose but he kept his composure, shoving a hand out in front of him. Paul, whose eyes had also began to water, brought his own arm firmly up into a strong embrace, nodding to show he understood. Chopper, who had arrived just seconds prior, grew to his human-point, swallowing them both into a furry bear-hug which Paul returned with a chuckle.

With that Usopp sniffled hard, trying to make it sound as manly as possible, and turned hastily back to the ship after bidding goodbye to the others. Chopper gave the young marine a fist pump, letting streams of tears trail down his face as he too followed behind Usopp to the ship.

"You know I still think you're insane" Zoro said dully to Sky who cocked an eyebrow at the man. "Not many people would get themselves impaled to save a stranger. You'd make a valuable crewmate."

"I've had a pretty twisted life" Sky replied, rubbing the back of his head "I didn't think I had a martyrs complex but I guess when I saw you charging up that slope I thought it'd be a risk worth taking. I was counting on you missing my vitals."

"Counting on? Nope, that doesn't make me think you are any less insane."

"Yeah I guess not…"

"But really… why did you risk your life to save me? Heck, why did you bother siding with a bunch of bushwackling pirates anyway? A proud marine like yourself."

Sky paused, looking past Zoro towards the ocean, as if seeking the right words before he spoke.

"If you're asking why I decided to help you guys, I'll have to be honest, if it had been up to me I would have left you guys to rot with your own problems. Heck, you remember me catching you in the first place-"

"Oh yeah, you and a hundred other guys" Zoro interrupted defensively.

"Anywayyyyy, I might have felt like it was wrong what we did, but I've been raised to follow orders, no questions, so I did what I was told. Wasn't always like that… I… well I used to… Anyway, it wasn't until I heard that Canaan and Paul were helping plan your rescue that I changed my mind. See, above anything else, above the authorities and above my own opinions, I trust Canaan with my life; and I have more faith in his sense of justice than I have in that of anyone else's."

"Makes sense" Zoro replied, nodding "but even then, you were still crazy to take that hit from me."

"I guess so" Sky replied sheepishly "and normally I'd have taken you in again, but seeing you… that selfless loyalty you have towards your captain. That was only time I had experienced that aside from what I have with Canaan and Paul… to be honest I had thought we were the only ones who possessed such… well, love."

"Still crazy."

"Well you asked, I explained" Sky growled back, punching Zoro with an orb of seastone prism.

"…. Brave though. Bravest dang kid I've met…. Well, aside from Luffy… he's crazy to."

Sky smiled bashfully, feeling somewhat honored to be compared to the dark-haired pirate across from him.

"Well enough of this sentimental crap. I'm getting out of here" Zoro said, breaking his serious tone with a physical stretch and a nod.

The young marine smiled back and nodded, his grin transforming into a scowl when the pirate ruffled his hair and strutted off.

One by one each crewmate bid their goodbyes, till at last only Luffy remained, standing face to face with Canaan who grinned down at him. Their friends around them directed their eyes at the two, not wanting to seem like eavesdroppers, but all able to appreciate the two leaders who had united them having a final confrontation. Though none of them knew what all had gone on between the two of them during their captivity, they had seen how they interacted with each other since their rescue.

"Don't be strangers" Canaan said lightly, crossing his arms "you still owe me a re-match at hide-and-go-seek."

Luffy's signature grin broke across his face. "Of course, till next time."

There was a pause as the lighthearted sarcasm made way for the sincere goodbye that was inevitably waiting to come out. Luffy's grin softened to a grateful smile, his hidden maturity making itself visible once again.

"I owe you a lot Canaan, a whole lot. You're not too bad for a marine."

"And you're not too bad yourself pirate."

Everyone knew Luffy wasn't one for long speeches or emotional conversations, but so much was said when he just stood silently, his eyes locked with those of his older friend.

"You're an impressive kid Luffy; stronger than I thought humanly possible, and I think you know I'm not talking about physical strength. What you've gone through is more than any person should have ever experienced and you came out stronger than when you got here."

"Don't think I would have without you there" Luffy said with a smile.

"Well, none of us would amount up to anything without the push of someone to help us along."

Luffy laughed, "I guess not."

"But you already knew that… learned it from someone special. You may not be conscious of it, but you've inherited that trait, you manage to give that push to anyone who's willing to accept it."

Luffy chuckled again "I guess the only way we keep moving forward is by the shoves of those around us."

"Well said" Canaan replied, reaching his arm out, which Luffy immediately accepted.

For a moment Zoro thought that the two were going to send each other off with a respectful handshake; that was until he noticed a flood pouring out of his captain's eyes and nose. Suddenly Luffy broke the handshake and swallowed Canaan into a full hug, wrapping his extended arms around him multiple times.

The marine laughed heartily, fighting the coil of rubber to get his arms out and return the hug. He finally succeeded and pulled Luffy tighter (which the others could have sworn was impossible) into his arms, burying the boy's head in his shoulder.

"M' gonna miz you" Luffy whined, his voice muffled by the other mans jacket.

"We're going to miss you guys to" Canaan sniffled back "but I guess I should be the one to push you on ahead this time."

Luffy nodded into Canaan's shoulder and unraveled his arms, letting the older man put his hand on his chest and push them apart.

"Now you guys get out of here" Canaan ordered, an emotional twinge in his voice. "before our justice senses start tingling and we get back to our senses."

"Psh" Luffy smirked as he trotted backward towards the Merry Go "you guys suck at being marines, you'd never catch us."

"Oi! Don't forget we caught all of you at least once!" Paul chimed in defensively.

"Hey! You didn't catch me!" Usopp shouted from the deck.

"He doesn't count."

"OI!"

"BYE GUYS!" Luffy shouted, interrupting the small quibble. "Keep an eye out for our wanted posters! They're gonna be a big deal soon!"

"Will do!" Shouted Paul as he threw up the last rope keeping the ship attached to the dock.

Together, the three marines made their way to the Merry Go and shoved the pirate ship off; the slight turn allowing the wind to fill the sails and send it coasting over the tiny peaks of the waves, mere shadows of the mountains to come on the open sea.

"SO LONG GUYS!" Luffy shouted as he ran to his special seat.

"BYE!" Chopper shouted, his farewell echoed by the rest of the crew as they slowly floated out of hearing range.

The entire shoreline roared with farewells from the rest of the marines as they all waved and cheered their goodbyes.

Soon the pear-shaped island faded from view, the waves growing larger and the sky becoming immense as it blurred with the sea, no obstacles or landmarks to hinder it from draping from horizon to horizon.

Zoro removed his swords and slumped down on the deck, letting his back rest against the wooden railing in his usual nap position, letting the crashing waves lull him to sleep. He had long since been able to tune out the ruckus on deck as the rest of his nakama dashed around excitedly, playing games and making jokes. Yet, he never fully blocked it out, allowing tidbits of Luffy's laughs, Usopp's stories, Chopper's squeaks of awe as his gullibility came out with the marksman's tales, Robin's light chuckles of amusement as she watched over her friends, Nami's manipulation of that dumb cook to fetch her things and spoil her… even that stupid blonde's romantic outbursts had it' place in the background lullaby that put the swordsman to sleep.

It was a loud, obnoxious ship; never a moment's peace as the small boat climbed the massive waves of the Grand Line, then slid down them like slopes on giant mountain peaks. Yet as he dozed, he felt more calm and at ease than he had in months.

Though no one said it, and rarely did any of the crew consciously acknowledge it, on that tiny ship they had created a new form of serenity. Not one that would seem peaceful from the outsider's standpoint, but a peace that was formed though selfless love.

As the excitement died down and the rest of the crew went to their own biddings, only Robin noted their captain as he sat on the ram's head at the bow of the ship. The wind sent his coarse hair slapping across his forehead as he turned and looked back at his crew, a soft smile crossing his lips.

Reminded of the night they had arrived at the island, the historian once again let her curiosity wonder at what was going on in her captain's head. What she did know was that he was happy, though he still seemed a bit worn from the events of the last few weeks. There was weariness in his gaze that reminded her that he had been willing to give everything for them and almost had. Yet she knew it would pass; he would be back to his fully-energized self in no time and soon the island would be another memory. She wouldn't forget though. Never forget.

She knew that this dream would come to an end though. The World Government would always find her, without fail; but no more would she step over her companions to escape that impending doom. It was no longer a survival trait she could afford to use. She cherished this new gift too much to let it go for her own life. If they came for her, she would make sure they didn't touch her beloved crew.

Luffy had taught her that. His life revolved around the safety of his friends. He had lost his sense of self and traded it for an unbreakable bond formed through sacrifice and blood. That was what he lived for.

That freedom formed when life became about the journey shared by others, for others.

Not for fame, not for happiness, not even for the final prize of finding One Piece.

It was for nakama.

THE END.

OH MY GOSH! It's overrrr! 6 long years! And here we are! At t end of it all! And it's all thanks to you guys for sticking with me and kicking me when I got ridiculously behind!

*Does Happy Dance*

I'm so excited! I really really hope you guys have enjoyed my little angsty adventure ^_^

I will probably (hopefully) head back and re-write some of the first few chapters… cause they're kinda terrible). And if you guys want an epilogue I might consider it. A part of me wanted to have a final serious conversation between Luffy and Zoro but I felt like I'd packed this chapter full of serious conversations and it would be overwhelming.

Let me know if you want the epilogue.

Just a little info about how this fic came about… I started this fic with the first major scene in mind (with Luffy standing in front of cell 300, kicking the dust as he prepared for battle). Originally Alvida was going to be the main villain but as the story developed one reviewer changed my mind (sadly they've gone since then but so goes life when you don't update as often as you should). It wasn't until I included those 3 main OC's that I started to sit down and develop a larger (more organized) plot. I honestly don't remember what brought about Sky, Paul, and Canaan. I never thought I would grow to use them so much and I kinda developed my own liking towards them. I know a lot of people don't like OC's (me included) but they grew on me.

The story ended up becoming a big puzzle of plot-points and scenes, and a lot more angst than… well, planned. I like my angst though. Honestly, paralyzed Luffy came to me a bit later in the game. I wanted to mess with how he handled something more daunting than death.

Also, I know that Luffy being immune to seastone and being able to swim doesn't fit in canon, and I also know I ended the fic with a foreshadowing to the canon…. Not really possible…. But …. It's a fanfiction so it's kinda allowed to be…. Not exactly right. Please forgive the inconsistency.

That last run was all due to you guys's support. You got me excited about the story again and I really can't thank you enough… but here it goes.

First of all,

Kitty-bandit. Wow, I'd say that you have been one of my greatest encouragements since I started this fic and you should know this last chapter really is due to you coming back and kicking my butt about it. I'm swallowed in college work and had hardly touched it since last chapter. Though that's how it goes doesn't it. I get hyped up and write a lot at once, then life hits me and I quit…. Then there's kitty-bandit to remind me that she still cares despite my failure to update! Seriously. Thank you so much! You've been wonderful! I'm sure you give me too much credit as a writer, but I get so excited about writing when I know someone's enjoying it ^_^ you've made this fic a real joy to write. Thank you thank you thank you. Ps- I love your spamming!

Next up! SUP! Or LeeSUP I am indeed still alive and super grateful for you pushing me to get through these last few chatpers! You've been hilarious and a wonderful reviewer! I'll take my cookie now! The last one was so delicious ;) It has been such a great time writing these chapters and knowing that they're entertaining someone. Heck, you've entertained me right back ^_^ thanks for sharing the fun. Taking the time to review means so much, really. I really hope you enjoyed this last chapter its been a blast. Thanks.

OK! Now in order!

DARKNESS34- So so so sorry I missed you when I updated! you have been so wonderful over these last few chapters and have been more than an encouragement to me as I plowed through these last few plot points. Don't ever think that I thought you're reviews were any less important, cause they've been fantastically great and have made my day many times :) I'm really glad that you enjoyed this last chapter and I wish I hadn't made you unhappy at the end. Do forgive my mistake. Thanks again.

Caring16- YOU! My friend, have been awesome. Really awesome. I have loved all of your reviews and I totally forgive you for not noticing the update XD its not as bad as me not updating for 2 _ YOU CRIED! YAY! A small victory, on my part ^_^ I'm so happy! I can't believe you've stuck with me (even when I wouldn't update for 4 months) but I've finally made it to the end! (how long have you been reading?) thank you again. It's been so much fun.

- thank you so much for taking the time to review! it means a lot

Neko11- I definitely owe a special thanks to you! You've been with me for so long! I've loved your rants and love hearing how you react to different things I throw into the plot. You're reviews have really been an encouragement to me and they make me so terribly happy ^_^ I've had such a blast writing and it's so much more fun knowing that someone is enjoying it along with me. Thank you

XFangHeartX- isn't it great! Happy Luffy! Awwwwww ^_^ you're happy I'm back! T_T *sniffles* that makes me so happy! I really hope you enjoyed this last chapter! It's been a blast! You've been wonderful these last few months! Thank you

Mto92- thank you again for reviewing despite your finals (which I'm sure are now replaced with other such projects and tests *believe me I'm in the same boat*) I've loved all of the support you've given me over the last few chapters. That last run was really due to the encouragement of you reviewers. I love you all so much. It's been great!

Mopman43- thanks for the review! And it makes me breath a bit easier to know as least some of my readers are cool with the non-canon twist ^_^ I'll be considering continuing with another fic (I'll probably get pumped to do more OP work when the ark Oda is on currently starts getting exciting… and I know it will). Thanks again for the feedback! Hope you enjoyed this last chapter.

GGCharms- thanks! I can drink alcohol but I actually haven't yet. I don't really trust my level of self-control. HMMMMMM! Who could you beeeeee….. Oh… ok ok… lemme think…. Is it luffylover? By any chance? Just a guess. You can kill me if I'm wrong T_T ANYHOWS! THANK YOU SO MUCH for the encouragement through this surprisingly long fic! It's been a wonderful time ^_^

Anime lover 3593- Yeah, I was wondering how u guys would take the non-canon twist. Mopman43 suggested I continue the storyline, but we'll see how that goes. I tried really hard to get rid of you this time… I wonder if I succeeded or if you're gonna stick with me to the end. O_O *anticipates* thank you for all of the support up till now! It's been a great time!

Anon- lol! I love how your reviews have individual reactions to specific things I put into the plot ^_^ it's a ton of fun to read! Hmmm, if I had you reviewing a new fic… it might be worth the trouble I love your encouragement and it's made my writing of this story so much fun knowing that people actually care about what's happening in it. I hope you've stuck around to see the end! I'm sorry I've taken so long. If you review this chapter I'll know to expect you to review on whatever else I might pull out of my butt in the future. Thank you again! So much!

Avatoa- tada! A little bit of MORE non-canon added into my fic. I hope you've enjoyed the rest of the fic! You've been great and I really appreciate you reviewing my humble chapters as I update Thank you so much!

EALM528- YOU! Also a special thank you to you for being so consistently awesome and encouraging to me! You really make up the few special reviewers who has kept me on my toes these last few months and practically dragged me to the end I thought I would never reach. Yes ! and now he can swim! So now Luffy is quite a daunting opponent :) thank you so much for the wonderful encouragement up till now and I hope the ending did not disappoint.

HeroR- hehe *sweatdrops* yeah, I kinda bent the rules in regards to the seastone _ and now with the sea. Hope that didn't throw off the overarching plot too much, and I really hope you enjoyed this final chapter. I've had a wonderful time writing and hearing back from you! It's been a great time and I've enjoyed writing this story much more in these later chapters with you guys to back me up. Thank you so much!

Rukiaathen- tada! Chatper 61! I really hope you could wait. I know it's been a long time since you reviewed but I hope you have stuck around to see the conclusion. I am sooo soo happy to hear that you cried over my humble chapter (yes, cause I'm evil like that) and the cookie was quite delicious. I hope you've enjoyed this final piece of the puzzle and I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know you had fun reading the last one

Kimmzer- DAWWW! *is super encouraged!* and I'm SO SO happy and flattered to hear that your sister encouraged you to read my humble fic T_T she probably is Kitty-bandit, who had made my writing experience a dream Your review seriously made my day! I just want to keep writing now! I really couldn't be happier I hope you enjoyed this last chapter! You guys have been awesome! Thank you.

Last but definitely not least! X3Arumixizumix3- you are so awesome to step from the world of my fanfiction to my DA account to remind me to update. It means so much that you've actually been to both of my pages T_T thanks for not quitting on me and I hope that you enjoyed this final chapter! You're awesome! Thanks a ton.

Whew! THANK YOU ALL! AGAIN! For sticking with me and keeping me going! I can't believe we've made it through

Let me know what you guys think of a continuation to this storyline and or an epilogue.

Until next time! FAREWELL!


	62. Epilogue

Epilogue

Luffy was perched happily on the head of the Merry Go, the wind blowing fiercely enough to send his hat off his head, batting rapidly against the pull of each gust and the jerk of the string securing it to the pirate's neck. The crew had set sail away from the pear-shaped island of their last confrontation almost a week ago and things had just about returned to their usual routine; that was unless they counted Luffy taking a dive into the sea every few hours to show off his newly-won ability to swim. On more than one occasion he had come close to becoming sea-king chow, once actually getting caught in the jaws of one particularly quick eel. No real damage was done since the crew was usually on guard for their captain's sudden impulses, ever ready to raise the sails so not to leave him behind and armed for any deep-sea threat.

Now Zoro walked the deck, waking from an enjoyable nap to see his captain alone at the bow of the ship. He had often wondered what was going through his friend's head when he sat alone up there. The boy was so spacey most of the time, but on those rare occasions where it was necessary Luffy would reveal a hidden wisdom that led the swordsman to wonder about the true character of the man he called captain. Did he sit on that figurehead just enjoying the fresh-air of the sea or did he ponder life, their quest for the One Piece, his dreams. Usually he concluded the boy just zoned out up there due to the numerous times Luffy had proven to not to be thinking as deeply as Zoro had given him credit for and he would rather be pleasantly surprised than disappointed.

On this occasion, be it Luffy was deep in thought or not, Zoro needed to talk to his friend. Though Luffy had let go of their argument from those weeks before (as expected), Zoro felt that it needed to be addressed. In all honesty he didn't know if he wanted to convince Luffy that he had been in the wrong for asking them to leave him behind or to apologize for arguing against his authority. Either way it would be incredibly awkward to bring up but it wasn't something he was willing to ignore.

"Oi Luffy, got a minute?" he asked, feeling overly-casual for some reason.

Luffy laughed, throwing him for a moment as he turned his head to look him in the eye.

"Did I look particularly busy?" the boy replied with the cock of an eyebrow and a grin.

It was Zoro's turn to smile, breaking eye-contact and chuckling "I guess not."

"What's up?" Luffy asked, jumping up to turn his body to face his crewmate as he gripped the ram horns with his hands and letting his feet dangle precariously over the water below. He did it on purpose, Zoro knew. Every chance the boy could get to risk a plunge into the sea he took, yet it still unnerved him a bit to see his captain set so unsecured over the surf breaking into the ship.

"I need to talk to you about our… disagreement a few weeks ago over us leaving you behind at that island."

Luffy frowned.

"We can't have that happen and ignore it ever did. You made an incredibly selfish decision for all of us and I went questioned your authority… I should have never gone against your command, it's as close to mutiny as I've ever come and-"

"Oi Zoro, it was nothing like mutiny. That's a stupid thing to say."

"Well what would you call it?"

"You were arguing with me, simple as that. Mutiny happens when a crewmate makes plans without the captain's consent; you were trying to get my consent…. And how can you say my decision was selfish! I made it with only your goals in mind, it was rational."

Luffy sounded defensive and… possibly hurt? Well this wasn't exactly the calm organized discussion Zoro had planned it to be.

"I know it was rational, and I admire the thought you put into it and your willingness to put our dreams ahead of yours, but even suggesting we leave you behind was an insult to our loyalty and nakamaship. It was selfish because it forced us to be disloyal no matter how we responded."

There was a pause as Zoro regained his composure, still trying to keep the discussion reigned in and controlled. Luffy looked down, his expression switching between anger and shame as he studied the white wood he rested upon. When he didn't speak Zoro continued.

"I was wrong to call your decision selfish, you're right. You did it with the best intentions for us, but you forgot to include our friendship and your importance in our lives in your rationing." He sighed, leaning forward to force his captain's eyes back to his and placed his hand on the messy raven hair on his head.

"All I'm saying is that your happiness is a major factor in our happiness, so include it the next time you make a big decision… and I'm sorry I went against your authority in front of the crew. It was disrespectful."

Luffy's face was hard to read but his brows uncreased where they were furrowed and there was understanding he could detect in the boy's black eyes.

"Being a captain is harder than I thought" Luffy finally replied, a smile quirking at the corners of his mouth.

"Well you're doing a great job" Zoro said as he removed his hand and straightened up; "I've yet to see a captain of your quality since I set out to sea."

Luffy's face flushed as he beamed at his first-mate, clearly pleased.

"Hey! I think I see something in the water!"

The shout came from the crow's nest where Usopp was taking his turn as look-out. He was pointing off towards the starboard side of the ship at a small shape floating on the choppy waves a hundred yards out.

"Can you tell what it is?" Nami shouted from her lounge-chair, lowering a drink from her lips.

"It looks kind of like a small boat! I can't really tell from here but I think there's someone on board!"

That was all the motivation Luffy needed to pop up from his seat and shoot an arm out, snagging the mystery object from the waves and sending it flying back in their direction. The projectile would have struck Zoro and Chopper both if they hadn't already experienced the consequences of getting in their captain's line of fire. They both easily slipped out of the way as the long wooden object crash-landed onto the deck.

A few of them took a moment of caution, not walking directly up to the gnarled wood before them, but Luffy scrambled right up, peeking over the edge into the hollowed out interior of a makeshift dingy.

"Guys! It's a monkey! There's a monkey in this boat!"

The crew cocked their heads in unison at his statement. Caution tossed to the wind, they all wondered to the spectacle in the middle of their deck.

It wasn't a monkey; not exactly. It looked more like a human with shaggy bangs, long hanging sideburns, excessively harry and calloused hands and a tail; a spotted tail that looked like it's patterning belonged to a Dalmatian but it's anatomy was that of a monkey. The boy looked to be in his early twenties, and despite his monkey-like features he had a very human face and figure aside from his flattened nose. Every inch of his fur was a silver-blue color, even the tail where it was a bit lighter and the black speckles broke up the solid hue.

"Is he alive?" Sanji asked, peering closer at the unconscious specimen.

Chopper scurried forward, successfully remembering that he was in-fact a doctor.

"Yes" he squeaked, feeling for a pulse then turning the boy over to his back. That was when they all got a sickening view of his arms and chest which were covered in deep gouges and scrapes. He had been bleeding a lot as some point but it all seemed to have dried up since, leaving dirty scabs to cover up the damage done.

"Oh my gosh" Nami gasped, covering her mouth.

"We need to get these cared for" Chopper said, stating the obvious as he transformed into his monster form, lifting the limp figure with him. "Usopp, could you go get my medical kit? I'll take him to the bed- LUFFY! Don't mess with his tail! He's gravely injured!"

"But his tail is fine!" Luffy whined, lowering his hand from where he'd been curling the long appendage.

"Try to give the injured some dignity" the reindeer scolded, turning his shoulder to keep the figure from the boy's view and walking away.

"Uhgg, no fun" Luffy pouted, his face sour as he turned to look back out to sea.

His expression changed immediately as he looked to the horizon, his scowl exploding into an expression that was so excited it looked to be borderline terrified.

"GUYS! We've made it to the bottom side of the earth!"

TBC… in _Blue, Gold, and Pale_

Wow guys, I can't thank you all enough for your support though "For Nakama." You've really encouraged me to keep writing and here we are, another One Piece fic on the way. It's gonna be intense and hopefully not quite as long as this one, but you never know XD

This next one involved a lot more planning and character/location design so please hop on over and enjoy it when I post it. The first chapter will be this one so don't get too confused thinking "wait, she already wrote this."

I know I didn't manage to get to all of you in my thank you's last chapter, and I'm sure I'll continue to do so by accident but here goes a few more.

HeroR- Hope you're still around I'll have you know your advice regarding the long speeches I was making Luffy give was a great help. It was totally out of character and when I write this next fic I'll keep that in mind. I also really want to go back and fix that in my earlier chapters here but I have so many new ideas I just don't know when I'll get to that. Thank you again!

Red Voident Dragon- yay! Thank you so much! Here's an epilogue! And I hope you stick around to read another fic ^_^ and I am honored to have introduced you to this world of fanfiction

XFangHeartX- yay! Thank you for keeping me going! It had been my pleasure

Pirate Queen of the 21st Century- awwwwwwww, thank you! Here is my epilogue and I hope you enjoy the next story

Chaos Is Order- Here's the Epilogue! I hope you stuck around to read it! Thanks so much for he support!

MetaLatias- lol! Hopefully this next one won't take 6 years XD thank you for reading through this incredibly long work. You're awesome! I hope you're still around to read my next one. Thank you!

GGCharms/Luffylover- Thank you so much! Your reviews have made me very happy! I would love to have you join me in another round of OP fanfic if you're up to it

X3ArumixIzumix3- I bet you really thought I was dead now, but here I am! Back! Here is my continuation/epilogue! I hope you're still around to read it you've been great! Thanks for the encouragement!

Darkness34- Thank you again for all of your wonderful support! I really hope you'll join me for this next fic, I'll need all the kicks to keep me going I can get and you're so good at that

- my pleasure! Thank you for taking the time to review ^_^ hope you stick around for the next one.

Caring16- -^_^- I'm so glad you were moved! That's totally my goal! I really hope you did wait forever and are still around! I would be heartbroken to update and not have your wonderful support to keep me going!

EALM528- here I go again! Hopefully this won't take me 6 years to complete XD I think if I have you guys pushing me I can get through really quick. Thank you so much for making this possible, I don't think I'd have the motivation to keep going without u. Please join me in my next fic ^_^ u would be a welcome companion on my quest to create more OP adventure when 1 chapter a week isn't enough.

Chibi-Onee-chan- dawwwww, thank you! I am super-flattered! Here's my epilogue if you're still looking to read it ^_^ thanks for taking the time to review`!

Kitty-bandit- T_T oh my gosh! I luv u so much! You really made this fic move with your awesome and so much appreciated support! I love your enthusiasm and it makes me want to make these chapters as enjoyable as possible to read. Please please please join me on this next adventure my good friend I hope you enjoy this epilogue and I will seriously be able to finish this next one with you at my back. Thanks again, for everything

Orgasmic Bunnies- interesting name XD thank you so much! I loved my virtual chocolate! I hope you've stuck around for the epilogue, at least to read my thanks XD

Rukiaathen- yay! Tears! That's what I'm going for! Woooo! 100 stars! What'll I do with them all! Thank you so much for taking the time to review my last-ish chapter ^_^ hope you enjoy the epilogue

Anime lover 3593- yay! I'm so glad you finished with me! You have been such a wonderful reader! Your support has really made all of this so fun and exciting to write. I hope you're still around to join me in another adventure. Either way you've been great and I'm so glad you enjoyed my "little" fic.

Aslef101- the magic of plot-holes… and the magic of seastone… yes, because… seastone allows you to control your bladder… _

LOVE THIS SO MUCH- I'm so glad you kept coming back to life to keep reading ^_^ thanks so much for taking the time to review! It has been a pleasure

Roxy12333- dawww -^_^- thank you! And thank you for reviewing individual chapters even though you coulda waited to the end. It means a lot to get reviews throughout the fic I really would love to see your fanart if you've still planned on making some XD thanks again! Hope you join me in my next fic!

0HorrorMasterOfTheUniverse0- thank you! And thank you for reviewing as you read! Hope you enjoyed the rest and will stick around for my sequel

Clarobell- thank you soooo much for the helpful advice! I really appreciate you're critique! You're right about everything, this fic definitely needs some editing done. I will apply that advice to me next fic too, cause I'm sure to make the same mistakes again XD please feel free to hurt my feelings all you want, I need to learn somehow ^_^ I'm hoping this next fic will be better from the start. Thanks again!

Once again! Thank you all! Hope you enjoyed!


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